Rain robs Kiwis.

Never mind that I turned in and tuned out once McCullum was injured, and fully expected to wake up to an England win this (NZ) morning.

300 chase, 4th innings, only one winner. Robbed, I tell you.

I think you are wrong about McCullum's keeping, I think he's pretty good. Certainly the best wicket-keeper/batsman in the post-Gilchrist world.

The pundits yesterday were discussing this at length. McCullum is very athletic, which means he can overcome a tendency to favour his right side. Whereas Prior crouches awkwardly and too low, so shells them both on and off.

I was impressed by the debutant guy, Flynn. He blocked out for a three hour 30, while Oram smacked around the ground at the other end.

England looked pretty ordinary yesterday, to be honest.

PS Eoin Morgan shouldn't be twelfthing for England- he ought to be psyching up for this weekend's grudge double header at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge.

Bob Willis, King of Spain, Dennis Amiss, Purple Cow can you hear me. Yer boys took a blarney of a beating...

QUOTE:
"Chinky"? Don't try that in San Francisco (or pretty much anywhere else in the US), Egg.

I wouldn't try it anywhere but in the context of a "that was the racist way they spoke then, and it was fucking crap" comment. Jesus wept. I fucking resent the implication I'm racist.

Anyway, what a load of rubbish that Test was. With the weather situation, England were the only team who could win it, but instead of trying to force the issue and smack up a total to try and bowl out New Zealand over four sessions they fiddled about and played conventionally, got tied up and Vaughan and a few lower order bravos aside, got out cheaply. And even if we had died by the sword in the first innings, there was no way New Zealand could have racked up a big enough lead to bowl us out again in the time available. Lions and lambs, hanging thereof, springs to mind.

Tongue very much in cheek, Egg.

Apologies for the unintended offence.

And here I was about to follow it up with my hilarious revue, What Ho, Darkie.

Ursus, Ross Taylor may have let the IPL go to his head. Don't rate him.

Watch this space.

Simon Jones seems to be bowling well at the moment.

I saw Jones take five in a 50 game at Worcester last week. He looked lively (grunting loudly like Monica Seles at every delivery), but it was Hants reserves and three of them were tailenders.

Then he grabbed five more agin yer Glaster boys in the championship- but this time they scored well over 400.

If he stays fit all summer and plays somewhere in the winter, who knows for an Ashes recall? More likely than SKW, anyway.

I'm calling on OTF (or whatever you call yourselves nowadays) to boycott this thread in PROTEST. I thought we all had a week off while the New Zealanders knocked off a county 2nd XI, but I've just realised there is a Test match starting on Friday, which is wrong, wrong, wrong. Tradition! [/Topol]

I hope it pisses down.

Well, after a few days of nice weather, it's clouding up again nicely. Are your lot bringing the bloody rain with you?

Well, new Test up and running and what's this? Anderson getting carted to all corners off four overs, Sidebottom conceding three times less runs in one more over? Normal service resumed, then.

And now it's raining . . .

God, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday it's been bright and sunny. Test match hoves into view and it's pissy drizzle and bad light. Fuck's sake!

Two completely avoidable and stupid run-outs in an over. Thanks NZ.

Vettori's sounds absolutely incredible. Not quite a captain's innings.

Mind, it also sounds as if England's fielding leaves something to be desired.

Yeah, Anderson dropped a sky-er earlier. Or rather missed it.

Well done, Taylor.