peasy23

Denly bowled by Maharaj, 127-4.

Know how you feel, I was in the same place at Xmas/New Year last year. The birthdays, anniversaries and the festive season are definitely the worst for giving you a swift boot in the balls to remind you that you are missing someone. This year has been a bit easier.

Nortje gets Root, he was dropped a couple of balls earlier, but this time Root tries to duck a short one but it hits his glove and loops through to De Kock. 148 kph delivery. Ooft. 105-3.

Textbook stuff from Trump.

100-2, Root survived a wee scare a couple of balls ago when he top edged a sweep shot, but was lucky it landed in no man's land. Nortje has just bumped Denly on the head, seems to be ok though.

Jack Rodwell has been training with Sheffield United for a few weeks, and seems likely to be signing until the summer with the option of an extension.

Mon the bulls!!!

First time since 2009 that they have started a test without one of Williamson, Southee or Boult in the side. Injuries and illness have decimated the team. Wagner seems to have Warner's number the same way Broad did in the summer.

Labuschagne opting to come and play for Glamorgan last year is turning out to be one of the most inspired decisions a cricketer has ever made. Five 50s and five tons in the county championship, then in the right place at the right time to capitalise on his good fortune at being picked to stand in for Smith when Archer whacked him on the head. 4 Test centuries in 5 months or so since then.

67-2 at lunch. Pitch hasn't done a lot but as usual Philander and Rabada are dangerous when they get their length right.

63-2, Sibley going for 34 edging the type of ball he is going to have to learn how to leave. Decent effort from him up to them, but like the second innings in the last test he'll be disappointed in the way he got out.

More bad news for Villa on the injury front as Wesley and Tom Heaton are both ruled out for the season.

No more football warm ups for the England team for the foreseeable future. Can somebody lock that stable door please.

Crawley gone for 4, edging Philander to the keeper.

9 for Friday. Bad Korea choice.

It was definitely the 1st he passed away, here is the tweet his son put on his account to announce his passing. We had Scott at our sportsman's dinners a couple of times, he was superb.

Crawley, Pope and Bess in for England, Burns, Bairstow and Archer out. England win the toss and bat this time.

Was online on Hogmanay. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/12/31/mc-beaton-prolific-author-created-phlegmatic-pc-hamish-macbeth/

105 million euros.

You seem to be adamant that Utd will make a profit on Pogba. I really can't see it. When they signed him, Juve weren't that keen to sell, United need to shift him to get his circa 300k per week wages freed up, and with 18 months left on his contract they can't afford to hang about too long. I'll be stunned if anybody coughs up more than the €105m that Utd paid, they'll get most of it back but I think it will be around €80-90m tops. There aren't that many clubs who will pay that sort of fee and match the wages he will want. Just noticed he needs surgery and could be out for a month.

Lolwut? So if they paid 105m but only get 80m back they'll still "make a profit technically"?

Can't see it tbh. They spent a reported €105m on him, don't think clubs will be willing to pay more than that to get him.

Rooney rule box ticked.

It's not perfect, but does show how little return Man Utd are getting for their wage bill. Keep hearing that they will have to spend millions to catch up, fact is they already have spent plenty and are still some distance away from the top of the table. It's hard to see them recouping their initial outlay on Pogba, and I'd forgot that Matic was still there until a few weeks ago.

This will have changed a wee bit since it was published last week, but not that much.