England may be heading for an ignominious defeat in the second Test against India today, but there is only one issue on the minds of cricketing fans across the country - thegreat jelly bean mystery.
....Was the sugar-laden confectionery a pointed reference to his weight, a much-commented-upon subject among observers of the game?
Was it meant as a distraction? Or was it simply being used to mark a field position?
Either way, no sooner had Zaheer swished the humble sweet away he started shouting and waving his bat at England's Kevin Pietersen, who he clearly blamed for placing the offending item on the pitch.
....Last night Zaheer claimed close fielders had deliberately strewn jelly beans around the crease. Even after he had started batting, he explained, they had continued to harass him by throwing more sweets towards the stumps.
"When I got out to the crease there were some jelly beans there," Zaheer said. "I just swept one off the wicket, and when I played the next ball there were some more, so obviously someone was chucking them from behind. I was upset about it. I went to speak to them and asked what was going on.
"I didn't know exactly where they were coming from, and maybe I picked the wrong one, but they definitely came from a fielder and I just felt it was insulting. When I go out on to the cricket field I am serious. This is a Test match we are playing. It definitely inspired me to do well."
Barry Bonds should have it so tough.
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