The national broadcaster is back on the earpieces sold and distributed at each venue after missing out on the first three matches.

The BBC has also been given the nod, the public broadcasters replacing Triple M and British TV channel BT Sport, who, with former Test stars Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist and respected broadcaster Alison Mitchell on board, have made a strong Ashes debut.

The change will be seen as a good result for those fans who prefer commercial-free, ball-by-ball coverage and have had to bring their own radio to the ground this series.

The absence of the ABC and BBC created a stir behind the scenes with some at Aunty interpreting it as a snub by Cricket Australia towards its long-time broadcast partner. CA, however, says the change was always planned.

The governing body is looking at adding three channels for next summer to ensure all their rights holders get a start.

Change likely for Zimbabwe tour

Zimbabwe's long wait to play a Test against Australia is set to continue. The future tours program has Australia slated to play a Test and three one-day internationals on its tour of the African nation in June and July but The Tonk is hearing this will change.

The two boards are yet to finalise the schedule but The Tonk understands there will not be any Tests played. It's likely there will be Twenty20 matches instead.

The last time Australia played Zimbabwe in a Test was in 2003 when Steve Waugh's men won a two-game series 2-0. That was, of course, the same series where Matthew Hayden hit a then record 380.

Laces in

Steve Smith is a man of many idiosyncrasies, another of which was on show in the third Test. Cricket Australia's medical staff brought out a chair at the drinks break late on Saturday so he could not only rest but correct a problem with his footwear - his shoelaces.

It seems a strange worry given the dangers presented by a rock-hard projectile flung at speeds in excess of 140km/h.

"I have always had an issue with looking at my shoelaces when I'm batting," Smith said on a Cricket Australia video earlier this year.

Looking at the laces "would sort of do my head in a bit", he said. "So I ended up getting a physio to tape my shoelaces to my socks."

Koalas rejoice

While we're on the topic of the skipper, his epic innings was not just great news for Australian cricket but also for koalas around the country.

Our loyal readers will be aware one of the companies the captain is involved in, Koala, is pledging to adopt a marsupial for every run scored. Catches, run outs and wickets are worth extra.

Smith's 239 has taken the tally to 546 with plenty of cricket left to play.

Star pair pass Windies champs

James Anderson and Stuart Broad have copped a pasting this Test but the pair have posted a significant milestone.

Anderson's wicket of Steve Smith was the pair's 763rd in Tests played together, taking them past the legendary West Indies duo Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh.

While plenty believe Ambrose and Walsh to be the vastly superior combination, it's worth noting Anderson and Broad are playing their 100th Test together compared with the Windies greats' 95.

England trivia triumph

It has not been a happy few weeks for England but it's not all doom and gloom. Former captain Michel Vaughan led an English media team to victory in a trivia night in Perth last week.

The event, run by Yorkshire Tea, pitted Vaughan's team of scribes against an Australian side led by Simon Katich and included this column.

The Tonk, however, would like to point out the quizmaster was British while we were disadvantaged with the England v Australia FIFA challenge due to the Socceroos' modest world ranking. As you can see, we have taken defeat well.