I dont like cricket...oh no...I love it

First Test, Perth (day two, close):
Australia 375 v South Africa 243-8

Test match cricket is just the best.

When I went to work, after spending an hour watching the afternoons session, SA were well set with Kallis and De Villiers looking set for tons. When I get into work (45 mins door to door) they are looking down the barrell of 100+ defecit and yet another test match deafeat to the Australians.

I hate to say it but the Aussies are the best side in the world still, even without McGrath, Warne, Langer, Gillespie, the list goes on....I may still be on a downer after Monday however I cannot think of any England bowler except Flintoff who could have down to SA what Johnson did today.

SA face an uphill struggle now. Unless time is taken out of the game or they bowl Aus out for under 250max I do not see how they can save the match. SA's batting is reliant on the top 6 for its runs as it has a long tail.

And so to England's next Test which ridiculously just three days after the last one! My two dream jobs would be Chairman of England Cricket Selectors or Chair of Liverpool FC, though if I was in the former now I would have even less hair than I do now.

I have given this much thought. Panesar will never learn if he is dropped for a test in India, though Swann's performances may mean he gets the nod as a sole spinner in the WI, so he would for me stay in.

Broad however gets in if he's fit and so, given that Anderson could be forgiven for being mentally scared by Sehwag, that would be my change. Whilst his batting has improved out of sight, (if only all tailenders worked as hard), he ultimately gets picked for his bowling and indian wickets dont suit him. He will be back however and could yet play a large part in the upcoming Ashes.

And so we come on to the last possible change England could make, Shah for Bell. Bell deserves one last chance and in fairness has been shunted round the order like a locomotive in the sidings. He has the makings of a fine test batsmen (though maybe not at 3) and I would pick him. He has so much talent it hurts to watch him not convert his starts into large scores. Bell has backing from the selectors and the captain so I will be amazed if Shah plays. However his Test carear is at a cross roads and he knows it.

One final thought...Pieterson is playing when he is not 100% fit with his rib. It hampers his fielding and must hamper him when he bats and looks to pull, hook and flick to the legside. This makes me think two things

1. Would he pick a teammate with a broken rib
2. Is Englands delay because someone has made that very point to him...perhaps Shah could get a game afterall...

First Test - India win by 6 wkts

First Test, Chennai (day five, result):
India 241 & 387-4 bt England 316 & 311-9d by six wickets

Warning

Readers of this blog will soon gather two things.

1. I am rubbish at spelling and grammar and
2. I am a huge Cricket fan

They call him the little master but after this innings there is no doubt in my mind he is the best batsmen of his era and maybe of them all. After Sehwag had set the game up last night, Tendulkar just came in and slowly but surely took England out the game. You just knew we would never get him out. Lara, Ponting and S Waugh have nothing on him.

The uneducated would look at the score and think it was a flat pitch but anyone who saw Swann (in his first test) pitch the ball way outside off and get it to turn and bounce knows differently.

The uneducated will wonder how England could be so bad they couldnt defend nearly 400. It happens to the best of teams. Just ask Australia. They couldnt stop the West Indies and they only had Lara. Australia have even lost a 400 lead in a one day game against South Africa.

Quite simply two of the best batsman in the world took the game away from us whilst two capable ones in Gambair and Singh held an end up. Whilst Anderson did bowl like a sieve with the new ball, no-one could bowl to Sehwag in that mood yesterday. Sometimes when a batsmen gets in he gets in that 'zone' and you cannot bowl to him.

What makes Tendulkar all the more amazing is that the whole nation expect him to score runs, and have done all his career since he was 17. And India is a cricket mad nation. The weight on this shoulders is crushing. And to think some people where wondering whether/when he would retire...

Sure England could have done some things better, (field placements, their batting before the declaration) however that would be knit picking. Everyone tried hard and apart from the start of India's second innings England didn't really have a bad session.

This test will be remembered for the batsmen - Strauss, Collingwood, Sehwag, Tendulkar with Singh and Prior getting a mention in dispatches. I therefore want to spare a thought for the bowlers. Flintoff deserved a pfeiffer for the way he kept running in esp as he was ill throughout the test. Once again he was England's only viable pace bowler. Frankly Anderson and Harmison proved once again that they are only horses for courses.

Swann also deserves high praise. He bowled with beautiful control and never let the batsman (even Sehwag) take liberties. Monty meanwhile was lacklusture. Following bad tours to Sri Lanka/New Zealand and a bad summer last year, any more games like this and he will lose his place as Englands number one spinner. With Rashid also being carefully groomed by the ECB Monty needs to up his game.

This is a corny saying but Test Match cricket was the winner after this game and should serve as a reminder to the ICC why it should be preserved. Whilst England will emerge with credit from this game Bell needs a score if he is to justify being in the team let alone No3.

I cant wait for the second test - I'm off now to pick up my bat and practice 'shadow' drives in front of the mirror.