"You got an MBE, right? For scoring seven at the Oval? It's an embarrassment."

- Dr Shane Warne to Paul Collingwood MBE, Sydney Cricket Ground, 4.1.07.

Now we all know that the credibility of the British honours scheme is in tatters, but the decision to hand out gongs to the 2005 Ashes team a year ago was really a bit silly, something that I wrote about at the time.

It does beg the question: if an MBE is worth seven runs (actually it was 7, 10 and 4-0-17-0 but let's not be picky), what's the proper worth of an OBE? CBE? knighthood? peerage???

Ponder this as nightwatchman Lord Panesar of Luton strolls out to the crease this morning.

Midwinter-Midwinter points for Sydney Day Three: Shane Warne 3 pts; Chris Read 2 pts; Adam Gilchrist 1 pt.