I've just started a book called 'Penguins Stop Play' (Harry Thompson)

My favourite quote so far is where the author describes a Leopard seal.

' imagine the head of Ridley Scott''s Alien atop the body of Mike Gatting after a particularly hefty tea'

One of my favourite quotes is from Barry Crier

'Funny month October ..... it's when you realise that your wife left you in May'

From last Friday at Edgbaston.......
Pietersen gets his century

....and celebrates

Jonathan Lewis takes a wicket in his first over in Test cricket. Bowled as well.

Bloddy good ball that one!

84/1 has become 139/8. excellent stuff.

160 - 8 at tea.

Looking good for when I go on Sunday

it will be all over by sunday lunchtime.

Maybe, although the forcast for Sunday is 'light showers'

It looks to me like Sri Lanka are offering the kind of late order resistance that England should be quite capable of overcoming. Why can't they rip out the last few wickets? Muralitharan is currently 31 not out! When they come up against decent opposition what will happen? I suppose it will be different with Harmison probably back and Vaughan. But tail enders like Murali shouldn't score 31 or more.

231 all out.

England 139 - 5
...........possibly not then Mo

oh, and if that isn't Jonathon Lewis rescuing England with the bat too.

geraint jones must be getting nervous about his place now.

Off to bed ready for Trent Bridge tomorrow.
Should be 'interesting'

You use the words "interesting" and "the relaxing sounds of leather on willow" in this theme. I am not relaxed about this series. Nor do I find it 'interesting:' I am irritated and frustrated beyond belief. For a start, one of the world's 'greatest' bowlers throws the thing FFS, next loads of England's bowlers are unfit (mind you that gives Hogs a chance to shine), Owais Shah is STILL overlooked, England's batters throw their wickets away AGAIN and a very ordinary side - Sri Lanka - have a chance to beat the holders of the ashes. There's been one spell when Flintoff looked anything like the bowler he did last summer. This team needs Vaughan and Harmison, Vaughan to sort out the ridiculous dismissals and Harmison to remind them how to bowl aggressively.

Added to all that, what about the coverage? There was nothing wrong with C4 last season so what do the ECB do? Sell it to a minority channel. Stupid fuckers. Are they by any chance members of a minority social class?

I can see Collingwood being dropped and Geraint Jones getting the blame for the batting, despite Trescothick's unbelievable running, Pieterson's unbelievable shot, Flintoff's poor showing. I'm just glad that they didn't play like this last year.

Andy...........it's a game.
I was at Trent Bridge all day today and, whilst I may have wished otherwise, Sri Lanka deserve to be in the position that they are.
I enjoy cricket and will applaud good play from whichever team, regardless of who I'd like to win.

Which is just as well at the moment

(England having just gone from 84 - 0 to 125 - 6 )

Well I agree. I was being devil's advocate to some extent. Good for Sri Lanka.

Pissed off that England have done so badly though.

Yup,



...........and yup

very pissed off about this to say the least.

it would be easy to whinge on about missing vaughan, giles, jones and harmison. and to under-estimate the knocks that wee being carried by pieterson and flintoff.

but for fucks sake, in 2 of 3 test matches they were let off the hook. i thought it was bad enough when we couldn't force home a 359 run 1st innings lead in the first test. but to lose a test after having them at 139-8 on the first day is fucking appalling.

i guess it shows that we have no strength in depth, and that to compete with australia in the winter we will need everyone to be fit.

the nagging doubt, though, is that this side may well have jumped the shark last summer. after waiting so long for success, that thought is extremely worrying.

Let's see what happens when Vaughan and Harmison are back in harness. I'm trying not to get too gloomy too soon.

Trouble is, I can hear those crowing Australians already. Now that pisses me off.

Tried (and failed) to link an audio stream of Flintoffs thoughts on the Test.

As you were.

we (the aussies ) arent crowing...though we should after all the shite we copped about the bangladesh series (which we did win 2-0 & our last trip to sri lanka was a 3-0 win, actually i dont think that sri lanka has ever beaten us at home in test match cricket).
but of course we are taking an interest in the way the english play this summer...i obviously acknowledge that the english have injuries to vaughan , harmison and jones and that murali is probably the best bowler in world cricket....but one would have to question the depth of your entire squad. especially with a long tour of australia to come.
That was one of your strengths last summer , an unchanged and fit team .And you played good consistent cricket.

Basically a severe lack of backbone in the English team. It was just like the bad old days that we were told had gone with central contracts.

I know it sounds like being a bad loser .... but having a bent arm is rather helpful to a certain bowler

Sad to see Simon Jones is already unlikely for the Ashes next winter.

Unless there's a massive improvement in the England team I'm going to to see Aus take back the Ashes as Perth in December. p.s. that's the 3rd test out of 5

Live streaming (for UK residents) of England V Ireland ODI is on the BBC sport page

Sarah Lady is all that one day cricket still exciting ? with the way the sri lankans are murdering you 3-0 , i can only imagine how exciting it would be..
good to see an article yesterday that Simon Jones reckons he will be fit for the ashes. that is great news

England battered again by Sri Lanka losing by 33 runs.
Mind you the 30 extras that they gave whilst bowling (21 of them wides) didn't help

Do you know I haven't watched a one day game for years. I tried the other day and found it totally boring. I can't quite figure out why but I thought it might be something to do with the formulaic nature of the day. It sems like a distraction from the real thing somehow.

Michael Vaughan looking doubtful for the ashes. If both he and Jones don't make it then we will get a good hammering.

England 321 for 7


Sri Lanka 44 for 0 from the first 3 overs

Now 100 for 0 off 51 balls

Not a bad start in the Test today.
England 242 for 3 at tea.

End of the first day.
England 309 for 3
Cook 101 not out
Collingwood 109 not out

What a catch by Collingwood. England have gotten themselves in a good position and must turn the screw tomorrow instead of letting them off the hook.

Mo..........Quick question, what more can Chris Read (150 not out England A Vs Pakistan) do to be given a chance to replace Jones ?

Difficult to tell, but then I couldn't see the point of picking Stewart ahead of Mr Russell. I think Jones is lucky to still be in the side.

Mr Flatcher prefers Jones so there's no chance of getting rid of him, even if his batting promise has yet shown the expected returns

Darren Gough reckons he's not in the England side because he did some shit tv show.

i reckon it's because he's an over-rated old pie chucker who was carted all over the country by an average new zealand side 2 years ago.

in a radio interview i heard he even had the nerve to call himself the best bowler in england.

fucking fat odious yorkshire twat.

20/20 later and The Shire have the opportunity to give the ponces from surrey a good twatting in front of an appreciative bristle crowd.

Cunts.

Pakistan 119 all out losing the last 8 wickets for 29 runs

Bowler O M R W
M J Hoggard 9.0 1 30 0
S J Harmison 13.0 7 19 6
S I Mahmood 6.0 1 33 0
P D Collingwood 3.0 0 14 0
M S Panesar 7.4 3 21 3

England declare for 461 for 9
They can't lose this one.......................can they ?

Only one quibble ... after he walked out on Yorks he's disowned the right to be considered a Yorkshireman in my eyes. The rest is spot on.

p.s. Gough keeps going on about being a proud Yorkshireman. After he moved to Milton Keynes to be nearing his family (i.e. the England selectors) Gough refused to travel to Scarborough for a Sunday league game as it was too far..... Scarborough is in Yorkshire who at the time were paying his wages.

England win by an innings and 120 runs

fucking fantastic day's cricket that. we were sat right underneath the big screen and were spotted on the tv quite a few times.

anyway here is the england side celebrating the fall of the 9th wicket

and here's one of the cult hero himself

All sing along.......(to the tune of 'Son of My Father' - Chickory Tip)

"Ooooooooh Monty Monty,
Monty Monty Monty Monty Panesar"

I have the chance of a ticket to see Nott's play W. Indies A at Trent bridge in a fortnight, should be interesting if I can get it