Excellent, memorable test match. At various points we looked nailed on for a loss, defeat and draw. Even Cook's captaincy shows some promise wonders will never cease. Interesting stat most runs (1610) in a test match that 40 wickets have fallen since 1925.

Apparently ali should have been in after bell. However, he was stuck practicing in the nets so stokes came in. True professional set up. One has to wonder if the venkys are moonlighting as the ecb.

Thought we'd struggle but Jesus 30/4 this isn't going well at all. Guptil, Williamson, Taylor, mccullum are useful. As are boult and southee. One of best ever NZ side to tour here I reckon.

The pessimist in me says, ballance has only ever batted well for England on flat pitches, moeen is not up to it, broad is on a downward curve, bell has struggled massively since Antigua, lyth and wood are unknowns against a very decent attack. It will swing at headingley too, and cook is under pressure as a captain. We've no coach and any new coach is being told who he can and cannot pick kp. Massive question marks all over the whole set up.

2 games before ashes. Brilliant.

25/3. Hmmmm.

Ironic that people feel so staunchly Lancastrian when it comes to cricket but are mortally offended when it is suggested for football.

Think it's down to tradition. If in 1870s ish the powers that be formed a Lancashire football team instead of each town I suspect people from all towns (that currently dislike each other) would get along. Also think football is more tribal and parochial than cricket is.

That said my mrs once said of me that if I'm in the company of foreigners I'm staunchly British, if in company of Brits staunchly English, if with English very northern, if with northerners proudly Lancastrian, if in Lancashire very anti Burnley. I don't think it goes further down than that but could develop a snobbery within the BB postcode. Maybe I'm just an awkward bugger. I'd even begrudgingly consider myself European for 3 days every 2 years during Ryder cup.

The ecb are considering a franchise based system for t20. So instead of lancs v yorks it could be Manchester v Leeds.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/32745399.

Can't see them going through with it but if that happens I'm not sure I could get on board with that. I think Lancashire and Yorkshire towns will be equally irked at that.

The venkys and the ecb are really doing their best to ruin my two favourite sports teams.

With kp he is still our best player but I think it goes beyond just an iffy personality. When you start texting the oppo on how to get your opening batsman out and reportedly laughing as he tossed his wicket away down under he can never play again. In the same way in footy john Terry is the best English centre half but because of all that's gone before he can never play again either.

The ecb are in disarray at the moment with a bit of a revolving door policy. Graves in downton out. Gooch out ramprakash in. Flower out Moores in, Moores out someone in. Presumably Strauss has replaced someone. Tom Harrison in as chief exec. With dodgy selection issues 2 tests vs New Zealand is a tough ask to get things right before ashes.

I dont always comment on such things as I often get them wrong! But if we lose to B'ham by as little as 1 goal and Barnsley beat Huddersfield by a clear 7 goals (or we lose by 4 and they win by 4 more "reallisticly"), wouldn't that put us down?

You're right.....we're safe!

A mate of mine sent me this yesterday so assume he's worked it out:

The only scenario where rovers can go down is if Sheffield Wednesday win, millwall win one of last two, Peterborough win, Barnsley beat Huddersfield 1-0, and rovers lose to Bham 15-0 going down behind Huddersfield on -22 goal difference to their -21.

A scenario bookies have at 949-1. Think would get better odds on losing by 15 clear goals let alone factoring in all other results.

` Fair enough, if no one comes in then we're stuck with the clowns and their, at very best, utter negligence.`

exactly, and that being the case, isn`t it then best to hope they can get their act together? what`s so bad about me hoping for that?

I can also hope to spend a night with Jennifer Aniston but I can tell you, just as the prospect of the venkys running it properly, it ain't going to happen. No matter how much I have hope that it will.

Having said that I do admire a rovers fan with hope after all this mine left me about 6 months ago, that after 18 months of thinking it must/will get better. If anything it gets worse