Now they've started up again. Quite bizarre.

Christ, I never want to watch a game played on a shirtfront like that again. I'd fancy a tilt at the batting honours board myself.

I couldn't pick up any problem with Sidebottom today, and he should play not least because the next test's at Headingley. Anderson didn't impress, overdoing the short stuff against Amla, and I reckon he'll make way for Flintoff. Or maybe Panesar on a horses for courses basis?

Flintoff in the 12 for the next test, along with the 11 that played this one.

It was good to hook up with Tubbs at Lord's today and have a beer and a chinwag (if I'm gonna watch attritional Test cricket with anyone, Tubbs is the man) but by Christ that was hard work.

Amla, first innings wobble notwithstanding, looks a class act to me. And I agree that Anderson's short stuff - for all Vaughan's admirably energetic field changing - was ineffectual cock-waving, ultimately. Terrific ball from Sidebottom to get Kallis. We should've bowled more of those.

He is a class act, and looked like a big one for the future the moment he appeared on the scene as a clean-cut lad. But I have little confidence in him. He gets himself out so easily. Once he's set, he's fine. But getting past double figures seems to be a bit of a struggle for him. The experts say his technique is lacking, though I am not qualified to judge.

Now, will England be pumped for the next test, having had SA on the ropes. Or will their confidence be fucked after being unable to finish off the Proteas?

I think SA will have gained more from this test. Whatever arrogance there might have been would now be entirely misplaced. But the attitude might well be one of having survived the big glitch early on. Along the lines of "If they couldn't beat us at our worst, how are they going to be us when we're playing well?"

I see this as an unexpected bonus for England. As I said earlier, England always lose Lord's tests, it's become a tradition. So like most people I had factored in a Z.A. victory here in my original 2-1 series prediction. This is the first time since re-admittance that South Africa have failed to won the Lord's test.

This Z.A. seam attack is good but over-hyped, and they appear to have believed their own hype. Also they are not custom to playing in English conditions, England's bowlers for all their faults, are the world's best at bowling in English conditions.

**

Of the 12 selected I would drop Colly. On current form, I can't see what he would bring to the game that Flintoff couldn't bring more of (with the possible exception of a functioning brain.) Even Colly's fielding isn't what it was in 2004/5.

QUOTE:
As I said earlier, England always lose Lord's tests

Bit of a myth, that. England have lost only three Tests at Lord's this decade (two to Australia). Most Lord's Tests have been draw of late.

What a fantastic compliment, E10.

It's an interesting situation, in that the back to back tests means that the South African bowlers will still be very short of match practice, but the England bowlers will be knackered from 3 straight days on the field.

Glad ye enjoyed it, lads.

Heard on TMS:

Agnew: I've just bumped into Hugh Cornwell at the bar. Weren't you a big Stranglers fan, Geoffrey?

Boycott: Eh? Never heard of them. Pink punks? I never had enough hair for that. My old mum could make a hundred with a stick from her roobarb patch on this track. It's roobish, bah gum, etc. etc.

"Bit of a myth, that. England have lost only three Tests at Lord's this decade (two to Australia)."

No it isn't. This is the first time that S.A. have failed to win a Lord's test since readmission.

Well let's not split hairs - what you're saying is South Africa in particular have a good record at Lord's, as do Australia. No one else has, particularly.

Fletcher (in his Guardian column today) blames the succession of Lord's draws on the MCC and Middlesex's determination that games should be played on bland pitches to extend them into the fifth day and thus maximise their income. Of course, if England never win their wider sources of cash will inevitably reduce, but the same would likely happen if other countries were able to bowl England out on inferior pitches.

PS PJ Bakker, AP van Troost, Ryan ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Purple Cow can you hear me. Your boys took the duivel of a beating...

Funny you didn't post anything about this match, DG!

Aye, that was a tad embarrassing. Big Kyle (the skipper) was nearly in tears at the end, apparently.

I was there when the Kiwis scored 350 in their warm up game against Worcester.

"Your boys took the duivel of a beating..."

Indeed they did. My mate Pete got 53, and Boukhari (no, not that one) got a few more, but there wasn't much else. Poor old Eric only got something like 8 or 9 in each innings, his Facebook page says that he is 'tired' - but he certainly didn't get tired from running between the wickets.

Pete is vice-captain of Oranje, despite the fact that he doesn't speak a word of Dutch, and doesn't all that much like the country or the people.It's a tough old life as an aspiring cricket pro.

Oranje missed some key players such as ten Doeschaete and Kervezee who were with their County sides, and Zuiderent whose bosses wouldn't give him the time off work. But there's no getting around the fact that the gap between Ireland, Scotland and Oranje is starting to grow exponentially.

With the number of people involved in the game slipping to just 5000 - 50% down on when I arrived in 1987, and less than 900 kids now playing organized cricket, the future is very grim indeed. My kids only played 8 league games this season because the Bond could only find four other -11 teams in our region for them to play.

EDIT: It gets worse. The Netherlands 'A' lost to France yesterday.

France for fucks sake!! Sacre bleu.

Still at least my club ground was looking as pretty as a picture.