He'll be more of a steady option. Harmison has had back problems in the last couple of days and Swann has an elbow injury, you can't go into a test with two bowlers with possible fitness clouds over them.

You look at the footage from five years ago then at Harmison now, you'll see how out of shape he is. He hasn't got the hunger (no pun intended) to be the best, he's only in it for the money. I never saw the likes of Alan Donald and Glenn Mcgrath or Shaun Pollock put on 3 or 4 clem.

He might last longer than Wendy StaleMott Richard.

Sounds like we are batting well . . . Wait for the crash of ash.

The second after I posted that Gayle dropped Strauss!

Looking forward watching to the afternoon session!

Another Test wicket that's as flat as a witches tit, they need starting leaving a bit of grass on or something or we are going to run out of young kids wanting to be Test bowlers, it looks like a mugs game at the moment!!

I'm pleased with England's start though,very positive!

Strauss looks in good form , hopefully he'll keep it up and get a big score

Concurring about the pitch comments PJ.

Does anyone have any mates out watching the cricket or know of anybody over there, I have just seen a Seaton Carew C.C. flag in the crowd

I think PJ should answer this one. By the way it looks like a road (the wicket that is - not the coast road).

Hell of a ball that to dismiss Strauss.

Doesn't Cook want a hundred? Obviously not.

I think he was trying to do a KP.

Just seen a Pools flag there as well

Is it not Hereford?

No, it has the club badge. Defo ours.

The Seaton Carew cricket club flag belongs to the club. We have about thirty players, members and wags over watching England

First post notoes? Fook right off!

The Pools flag was right behind were Lawson dropped Pietersen late on. A Loid flag was close by as well, it looked freezing the way it was blowing around it's probably the first time Barbados has been hit by minus ten

Why did KP refer his decision? His ego really p*sses me off sometimes.

We should still get a big score.

Get to 450 then start kicking the ar*e out of the ball I reckon

600-6 declared. Time for Harmison . . . Oh no he's been dropped hasn't he?

Gayle out for 6. Windies 13-1 in reply to England's 600-6.

Russell Brand gets a wicket.

Why has Sidebottom been picked if he is carrying an injury?

I don't understand why they pick Sidebottom full stop.

Maybe Geoff Miller is a Who fan.

Harmison dropped for an injured Sidebottom.

It pi$$es me off the way Harmison is treated. He's not the only bowler out of form. The only bowler I would pick ahead of him at the moment is Broad. Anderson is hot and cold, and Sidebottom is a waste of space.

Concurring. It's funny how every other country in the world wishes they had a Harmison- except England.

It's like bowling on the A19. Draw all day.

whats up with hoggard anyway? since fletcher went he jsut seems to have gone fromt he england set up alltogether

No England player has ever been shit on to the extent Matthew Hoggard has.

He took six wickets the first innings in a Test I was at, at Kandy but did a fetlock bowling at the start of the second innings. He missed the game at Colombo but wasn't badly injured he was bowling in the nets throughout the test and on the square in lunch/tea breaks. He then played at Galle and had a poor game, he played at Hamilton in the first test in New Zealand and again had a poor game. He was then binned and hasn't played since on the back of TWO poor games!! Harmison gets chance after chance and hasn't performed for three years.

He's a great bowler on flat tracks as well with his cutters and ability to swing the ball in most conditions, we have played on a lot of flat wickets recently as well

I've said it before, cricket is for the homs and the gays

Harmison has been out of form for years,he shouldn't play for England again.
If he didn't play for Durham you lot wouldn't be pissing yourselves anyway.

You're a funny guy chip!

I've never bowled leg spin.

I thought we were never gonna take another wicket.

I don't think we are.

Agreed

What's about exactly ... I thought the Umpire's word was sacrasant .. Its encouraging players to question the decision of a match official and sending the wrong signal to the youngsters out there..



Its definitely not cricket.....

It shouldn't be used for LBWs. Leg Before's are just guesswork down to the judgement of the standing umpire. This is the bit I hate about it and hopefully the ICC will remove referrals for this.

Just catching up on the cricket now. WTF is happening with these referrals?

Is Daryl Harper related to Lee Mason?

Howay then cliché time:

"This match has got draw written all over it"

The pitch is as flat as a pancake.

Can someone explain to me what Owais Shah is bowling?

This is an awful wicket for the game of cricket, the ICC have to do something about tracks like this.

I think it's called right-arm soup.