My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

Ton up without fuss. Cracking along nicely.

“No, we’re not letting the other boys have a go”

“No, we’re not letting the other boys have a go”

Saw a similar comment along the lines of “Can you let the middle order get some batting practice in chaps? Please?”

A stroll.

In my post referundum malaise I forgot all about this. Good response from the previous top order collapse.

What should have been an easy chase at the Rose Bowl hasn’t started well!

If the weather is as nice down there as it is up at this end of the county, should be a lovely evening for it, though.

Steadied now, and dropped catches aren’t helping SL’s chances.

Morning, everybody.

Good day to bat? With no Anderson, there’s plenty of pressure on Jake Ball to perform, and here he goes….

Woop!

LOL, Boycott is a Theresa May fan 🙂

Woakes gets a Michelle at HQ.

Can the tail wag?

No.

3 wickets, eight balls, six runs.

#bash

Theresa May is a Boycott fan, very keen on him getting a knighthood.

butter fingers 🙂

Cooke most runs in test history as an opener.

Cracking match – off to watch tomorrow.

Time for the no-baller to get a match winning five wicket haul?

Exciting! Deteriorating wicket must make Pakistan favourite; can Vince make up for his first innings when Hales didn’t?

Thoroughly enjoying the Greatest Hits of Aggers over lunch.

#legover

Brilliant battle this. Really enjoying it. A true test (match)

compelling. I have loads to do and can’t drag myself away.

Can we get this in short singles?

Maybe I’ll go and do the lawn now.

Great match though. Brilliant

Well done, Amir!

Well done to Pakistan.

I’m afraid Hales is not a test opener as long as I’ve got a hole in my arse and at present Moeen is not worth his place as a batsman or bowler. Some thinking to do for England, particularly as the next game is Old Trafford where it really does turn and is an abrasive surface for the reverse swing lads………

Well that was an extraordinary tense day of cricket – you know you are watching something special when every run is applauded. Well done Pakistan.

I can remember back to 1992 when Wasim and Waqar absolutely captivated me as a 14 year old lad who liked to bowl fast left arm. It was towards the end of twenty years of West Indies trying to knock everyone’s heads off and everyone else trying (and failing) to do the same. Then along come Pakistan who surprised everyone by bowling at the stumps. Well, sort of. Wasim in particular liked to bowl halfway down with the new ball, but when it got old – just fantastic. The first real innovation in bowling since the googly in my opinion. England got sour about it because, frankly, they tried it and couldn’t do it. The 1992 Pakistanis also had Mushtaq who bowled the best unpickable googly I can remember.

Add to this some abrasive batting and captaincy from the likes of Amir Sohail, Inzamam and Javed Miandad and they were just box office. A strong Pakistani cricket team is always good for the game and draw people into watching.

Peter Oborne’s Wounded Tiger: A History of Pakistan Cricket was pretty well reviewed and is on my long term reading list.

Two spinners this match? Who will they drop? Broad? Unlikely I’d have thought. One of the underperforming batsman then. Vince would seem most likely as Balance has only had one match back. I think they might drop Ali for Rabid. Ali could do with working on his batting, after all that was why he was brought into the team originally.

Very much looking forward to the test . Will be interesting to see how England respond.

Cooke said yesterday that Rashid would only play if they opted for 2 spinners.

Rashid not in 11.

Anyone else watching/listening? Wondering whether they’ll pick up the pace and go for a declaration in the 500s, but then I had a flashback to 2006 in Adelaide.

Following TMS text. Watching Le Tour. Drinking cold lager. Fighting jet lag.

La vie est belle!

Similar here CFH – down in Buenos Aires, so it’s red wine & a lovely steak tonight! Tomorrow morning will be a training ride with the locals at the velodrome, then watch the finish of the tour.

Water slides in the garden, sky on the iPad . Brilliant from Root and really enjoyed woakes too. Let’s get 3 wickets before the close today 🙂

I hope so, else there’ll be increasing mutterings about bowler choice and a draw.

That’s 2

Listening at work. Pakistan struggling with the massive task of chasing 589 mentally I think.

And that’s 3!