Not Good For My Blood Pressure

What a day so far, and still anything could happen. In the absence of a TV anywhere near my desk, I have had the BBC’s Test Match Special in one ear for most of the day. Actually I haven’t dared put the headphone down during play since the only time I actually did that today, when Glenn McGrath took two wickets with consecutive balls (and was almost getting a third by the time I returned from the printer).

Last night we caught up with some very glum Australian friends who’d spent the day at the Oval. I can understand their frustration, but I can’t help thinking that their reaction to our batsmen taking the bad light in the early afternoon has its roots in something of a wish not to admit that they’ve been beaten–just as Ricky Ponting was moaning the other week about England’s use of substitutes, if by some miracle we do manage to hold on and win back the ashes today it will not be because we have comprehensively outplayed the Aussies for the whole summer, but because we unsportingly left the field of play when it was too dark to carry on. I can’t help but think that their team would have done the same had the positions been reversed (especially after their batsmen did exactly that on Friday), but there you go. Oh, but I forgot, it’s us with the reputation for winging, isn’t it? Hmm. Perhaps the Australian supporters need a quick lesson in the art of losing (I know I’ve had plenty of practice at this myself, as a follower of Everton and the various English national teams).

UPDATE (16:48): …and maybe this might be it. I think Pietersen’s 150+ (seven 6s… can you believe it?) might just be enough for us to get that damn urn back. (Although I don’t expect it to be long before someone points out that he was born in South Africa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah…)

Elsewhere, on the BBC website:

“1459: Rick Warr emails to say:

Nice to see the streaker spent more time at the crease than Ian Bell did…”