den

15-4!

England need to bat first and get a big total on the board. Anything else and we could lose this one. Anderson will be a huge miss. I reckon if the wicket is decent we'll struggle to bowl them out.

One wish for tomorrow. I don't want to see Australia batting.

I will Gav - cheers. Shame you can't make it. Staying over in a premier inn thursday night as well. I believe there's a weatherspoons nearby!Good few days for me, cricket tomorrow, aerobatics last Saturday

Looks like Finn in for Wood.

Looks like the ECB backing cook and Strauss. Either way, it does no one any good. It's a stance that affects the results of the England team and deprives the fans - who pay a fortune - of watching the best players. No one wins with the current situation.

We don't need him apparently. The England I'm going to watch at edgebaston would definitely be stronger with him in the side, that's for sure. A life time ban for something that boils down to personalities and a lack of respect on Pietersens behalf, is ridiculous. Whatever went on was something that could and should have been sorted. It still could be if it weren't for a stupid decision made by the ECB.

Anyone see this? Hilarious! http://youtu.be/nz0ykdL7HVk

Every chance the Aussies will level the series - weather permitting.

Wife keeps walking in front of telly when the bowlers bowling. Thought of asking her to sit down til the end of the over - but I daren't. Cmon England. Nearly there.

308 all out. England brilliant this morning. Jimmy superb. Tough for the Aussies now. Be nice to see Lyth show something. Not been impressed so far.

I'm sure Ricky Ponting played Al Capone in boardwalk Empire

Australia's day. 400 would be a reasonable score on that pitch I reckon. Great to see the English batsmen take the game to them though. Hope we stay just as positive with bat and ball throughout the series. Saddest sight today was Bell. He's a good player but God knows what he was trying to do today.

First two overs suggest a terrible test match pitch. Ball keeping low with little pace. Lythe gone 7-1

Stand C for me as well - unreserved seating. Total sell out. My first T20 too.

See you there then Gumboots.

Anderson was saying that the new "positivity" would be taken forwards to the tests. Hope so because positive teams/individuals win everything. Just hope someone's told Cook.

Hope you stayed right to the end Matt. A gameYorkshire were always in control of, even up to the start of the last over. It was pretty much a one man show from Lancs, - but what a man!

Is that the faintest bit of light we can see? I really hope so. Some excellent performances there, especially from the middle order. I still have big doubts about Cooks captaincy. He's not forceful or positive enough. He doesn't seem demanding of his side. Now add Peitersen to that middle order and we could really scare a few teams.

But if he picks Pietersen in the squad Chaddy, you'll be annoyed won't you?Edit Can't believe we posted that at the same time Abbey!

I think you underestimate he ability Gumboots. "He may be good at what he does" and feeling let down at his lack of consistency, really play down his class. I think it was bumble who said Pietersen is the best ever English batsman. He obviously rates him as being better than good. Your second point about consistency - well I've heard that kind of thing about various cricketers, from various fans. However, more so in cricket than other sports, stats do tell the story. If a player averages let's say 50 over a career, then for every duck he gets, he gets one century. Are we saying we don't want batsmen to score hundreds, we only want them to score fifties? The average tells you everything. The classiest batsmen have the highest averages.

On the Thursday, which is the second day's play. You going Gav, - I guess it's your home ground now?

£81 in our case.

You only kick top sportsmen out of the game if you believe you'll be a better team without them. Will some of you guys who are happy to see him kicked out of international cricket tell me how we're better off? There are ways of dealing with thorny characters. You can fine them, ban them for a game or even a whole series if they're really that bad - but kick them out forever? Totally ridiculous thing to do.If you want to be the best you can be, you need the best players playing. I'm off to Edgebaston in July to watch the ashes test. What would excite me more than anything, would be to see KP annihilating the Aussies as he can do. I'm sure the vast majority of England fans would want the same. We're being denied that because of petty personality clashes, where personal pride and the desire to continue this saga by some, is dragging down any potential that England might have to actually start to win games again. I agree with Al. The England cricketing authorities should be ashamed by how they've "managed" this saga.

🚶🏻🚶🏻🚶🏻