btb

India 303/4 after 86 overs with Swann taking all 4 wickets and bowling 30+ overs on the first day - my guess is he'll have pretty sore fingers by the end of this series. Pretty average stuff from Englands seamers a combined 173/0 from 40 overs and Cook unwilling to risk taking the new ball. Oooops it seems they're going to risk it for the last 4 overs now India appear to have pretty much settled for going in 4-down. I await the ruturn of the prodigal..............

Had to go out with Windies at 14-2 after 5.5 overs just as Gayle was dismissed. They've been my team ever since the summer of '76 delighted to see they turned it around - Championeeeeeeeees! Oh & Tony Greig it may be 36 years but GIRFUY!

No gripes with Wardlaw for his time with Saints, he's the type of player the phrase 110% was coined for but Ayr are more his level. I don't reckon any team featuring him as a regular would be able to sustain a challenge for the Division 1 title. Having said that best of luck wherever he goes, unless of course............

One I'll watch with interest if it comes to fruition. It all ended rather messily with us (doesn't it always?) but most of the six and a half years were good and a he almost made himself a Saints legend.

I think the precise phrase was no "traditional bank debt".

Does that core include those who are getting free tickets? Not that I think giving away free tickets is a bad idea just that it'll have an affect in terms of revenue generated. Anyway this post seems less bullish than your earlier one when you said crowds would "swell above the 2500 mark". Better hope for a good winter and not too many midweek games. Time will tell.

............and how long will these fair weather fans stay when you're in the bottom half of Division 1 losing more games than you win?

Your average attendance for the last two seasons you were in Division 1 was below 2000. Average Attendance: 2008-2009: 1,866 (Division One) 2007-2008: 1,831 (Division One)

Second India vs Australia Test looking to be a high scoring draw - 15 wickets in 3 days. At 0/153 Hauritz's place must be in question. ******************************* Tea on Day 4 - Australia 94/3 (77 ahead) and the pitch is begining to offer something to the spinners. For Australia a lot depends on the current pair Ponting & Hussey. ******************************* Stumps - Day 4 Australia 478 & 202/7 (65.0 ov) India 495 Australia 185 ahead - big day for Hauritz tomorrow! PS - Who was that idiot who said it was gonna peter out into a high-scoring draw? ******************************* India win by 7 wickets, Australia drop to fifth in the rankings (below England) and Shane Warne "blasts" Ponting's field placings for Hauritz

A couple of surprises (for me anyway) in the England touring party - Panesar (don't see England picking two spinners for any of the Tests & it's hard to see England going for a genuine No. 11 if Swann gets injured Down Under) & Tremlett (I suspect his height (6ft 7") was the major facture in his selection) . My hunch is that Bell will play instead of Morgan but apart from that I see England's main problem being that the fringe players are very much that.

Decent in England.

Just read the KP article on cricinfo - found this interesting (to me anyway) piece of trivia tucked away in the last sentence. Makes me think the claims that the top players are playing too much cricket might be somewhat exaggerated. ********************************* Going off at a tangent the introduction of central contracts means that established Test players don't appear to often for their counties - going to the extremes Jimmy Anderson must've spent more time playing for England than Lancashire.

Moving on from the the obvious I see that KP is struggling to get a county to play for - bad news for England?

Again similar to The Oval with a great fightback for the eighth wicket - Trott & Broad this time. Currently 185/7 at Tea.

England 47/4 - Déjà vu.

Although I missed the bulk of the afternoon session (getting back at 143/6) it didn't seem likely that England were ever going to win - even at 132/6 it was more a matter of Pakistan keeping their nerves and seeing off a low target. Best call of the morning by FC_1919.

Just back - eh 4 wickets left if one more goes down then I'll leave.

Pakistan 115/3 - require 33 more to win. Test Match cricket as it's been played since the dawn of time - Pakistan siezed the initiative on the first morning and have dominated the Test, England briefly got back into the match but their collapse last night sealed things. I'm away out but if Pakistan don't see this home pretty easily I'll give up pontificating about this sport.

63/2 - Floodlights on.

England 233 & 221/9 (76.2 ov) Pakistan 308 England lead by 146 runs with 1 wicket remaining ********************************** Missed today's play due to work - I had a feeling that if Cook got into double figures he'd go on and make a ton. Unfortunately for England none of their other batsmen could make a significant contribution so they're looking for an exceptional bowling performance from one of their players or for Pakistan to self destruct. Although it's not been a batsman's paradise I think that England have underperformed with the bat and Pakistan should knock off the runs for a few wickets. When batsmen have been in they've not looked in too much trouble but it's maybe the sort of pitch where a tight bowling attack could make it difficult for new batsmen.

One of those was the the nightwatchman who lasted until the over before lunch - nicely poised. ************************************* 179/5 - Swann's got his 100th wicket in only his 23rd Test, must be England's best spinner since "Deadly" Derek Underwood. At under 2 runs an over (today) Swann is a lot tighter than any of the seamers, might see Pietersen on for a few overs before the new ball. ************************************* Statto from cricinfo has just posted figures for bowlers quickest to 100 wicket in Tests and Swann is there beside Underwood & Warne on reaching this figure in his 23rd Test! ************************************* 80 overs and the new ball due, vital wicket for England in that over, crazy from Pakistan's PoV, with them (236/6) already past England's First Innings total. Time for a well earned rest for Swann and England's seamers to retrieve the situation. ************************************* Pakistan 308 all out - 75 ahead. Tricky few overs for England tonight, nothing to gain but losing a wicket would make Pakistan favourites. Alistair Cook

Never judge a pitch till you've seen the second team bowl. *********************************** Great fightback - currently 212/7 with 20 overs still to go before the new ball. Hopefully we'll get a closer Test than the last two. *********************************** one run later.......................... 213/8 *********************************** one run later.......................... 214/9 *********************************** 233 all out - nice little cameo from Prior at the end. Could've worked out worse for England, they should have 20 overs tonight and then be able to have another go in the morning.

England currenly 142/7