Slater's indelible mistake

Slater has endured a miserable year so far

By BBC Sport Online's Thrasy Petropoulos

First he equalled the world record for the number of Test dismissals in the 90s, then lost his Test place, and now Michael Slater may have tattooed himself with the wrong number .

The New South Wales opener has always been one to wear his heart on his sleeve, but he took patriotic pride a tad too far recently.

Believing himself to be the 356th player to represent Australia, he had the number tattooed on his body.

Just for good measure, he then ordered the personalised numberplate MS356 for his new red Ferrari.

But if watching Justin Langer, his replacement for the final Ashes Test last summer, score a hundred at the Oval was not bad enough, Slater has now been told that he may in fact be Australia's 357th Test player.

Alphabet

The real 356 is, apparently, Brendon Julian.

The pair made their Test debuts together in 1993 and Slater had assumed that because he had batted above Julian, he would be listed first.

But the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) say that in cases when two more cricketers make their debuts together, their numbers, which are now included on baggy green caps, are determined alphabetically.

"Most people would assume you would do it alphabetically," said ACB statistician Ross Dundas.

Slater has just missed out on a number of centuries

And the ACB website - baggygreen.com.au - lists Julian ahead of Slater on the official list of Test caps.

England fans might not be the most sympathetic to Slater's plight having seen him survive a run-out decision in Sydney three winters' ago.

He survived, despite the proper technology being available to the third umpire, because the bowler, Peter Such, had accidentally obscured the camera.

Slater was on 35 at the time and he went on to score 123 out of a second-innings total of 183, the second highest percentage of runs scored in a completed innings in Test history. England lost the Test by 98 runs.

But then good fortune also seems to have a played its part Slater's career. Indeed, he is lucky even to have a Test career.

And you know what, I'll come back bigger and better

Michael Slater

As one of the first pupils of the Australian Cricket Academy, he was involved in a cycling accident with a car that left him with hip and back injuries. It took him more than a year to recover fully.

He has also avoided a repeat of the mystery illness, which left him panting for breath over dinner and resulted in a trip to hospital in 1999.

A compulsive strokeplayer, Slater often gives the appearance of using all his lives at once.

He was dropped no fewer than four times in one innings against Pakistan, before swiping a full toss to midwicket on 97.

Latest mishap

That was one of nine occasions, the latest of them last January against the West Indies, when he has been dismissed in the 90s in Test cricket. Only Steve Waugh has suffered a similar fate.

Whatever his future holds - and increasingly he is to be found in television commentary boxes - Slater is still talking a good game.

"I'm not the only guy that's been left out of the side," he pointed out.

"And you know what, I'll come back bigger and better. My career statistics until now tell a story, you can't deny that."

Perhaps, but after his latest mishap it could be that Slater has used up the last of his cricketing lives.

If so he is destined to remain at 74 Tests, 5,312 runs and an average of 42.83.

Unless he wishes to cook those figures too.