Bazookas at the Manuka

The match
The Prime Minister's XI v West Indies at Manuka Oval. For those of us in Canberra, it is the best cricket of the year outside of the Press v Politicians fixture.

Team supported
The Prime Minster's XI was appropriately being led by a powerful and religious Queenslander. However, the crowd was well and truly giving preference to the West Indians. When Chris Gayle hit each of the first three deliveries to the boundary, it was met with pleasure from a crowd that wanted to be entertained. West Indies entertain, and they had the public's vote.

Key performer
Opposition Leader Chris Gayle was at his destructive best. He repeatedly hit balls into the next electorate and the contest was all but over by the end of his innings. After thrice being dropped, Gayle made the PM's XI pay in an onslaught that was as brutal as any Question Time.

Face-off I relished
Not quite Rudd v Abbott, but the tussle between security guards and the spectators over the use of beach balls was as absorbing as any on the field.

Player watch
Ravi Rampaul and Kieron Pollard entertained the crowd in the marginal seats (the hill). Both generously gave autographs, but it was Pollard who was the spectators' darling, performing a little dance before blowing a kiss to the crowd.

Shot of the day
Although Pollard and Gayle may have timed sweeter sixes, it was impossible to forget Tom Cooper's massive shot, which sailed out of the ground and between the Bob Hawke and Sir Donald Bradman Stands. The white ball bouncing onto the asphalt would have been a nasty surprise for naughty smokers sneaking a puff behind the stand.

Ball of the day
When local boy and public servant Ben Oakley cleaned up Dwayne Smith's stumps, the wave of goodwill emanating from the stands may as well have come with the caption "Yes we can". In a bowling attack that was savaged, Oakley bowled tidily in what was his most challenging task to date. Everyone but Smith thought the wicket was well deserved.

Crowd meter
With the hill, marquees and old-fashioned scoreboard, Manuka had an intimate carnival atmosphere. The crowd was small, but there's nothing quite like a few thousand public servants gathered together whilst on flex-leave.

While there were valiant efforts at constructing very respectable beersnakes, the attempted Mexican waves proved to be a little ambitious, given the pockets of vacant seats. However, this didn't stop those on the hill enthusiastically chanting songs about what those seated in the stands did in private.

The crowd was treated to more than a dozen sixes, which were met with delight. Invariably, the hill ceremoniously dumped scorn on the unlucky spectators who grasped at and then dropped these "crowd catches". However, perhaps as a result of the huge number of shots being played, the greatest cheers of the day were reserved for the tractor driver when he removed the covers from the pitch after each of the rain delays.

Fancy-dress index
Kevin Rudd performed a plausible impression of a cricket fan. Elsewhere, sombreros were the order of the day in a vain attempt to have the Mexican wave look authentic.

Don't leave home without
Suncream. Although the morning saw overcast conditions, the afternoon sun was as punishing as a by-election.

Overall
The crowd came for big hitting, and they got it. The masterclass provided by Gayle and company will be long-remembered. However, the local side's honourable fist of the impossible target was not lost on anybody: it's not everyday you see 700 runs in 90 overs. Carnival match results are often less important than the journey, and this proved to be true here. This journey had plenty on offer for spectators, even if the final result was a landslide victory for the West Indies.