Feel a little sorry for Rob Key missing out again, and for Harmison.

Harmison is bowling regularly and taking wickets, so why leave him in the cold? When he's bowled poorly for England in the past, it's been because he's under-prepared/under-played. Broad has been very ineffectual in all the tests, and his runs seem to keep him selected.

Broad probably did enough in the last couple of days to keep his spot. I'm not expecting any changes from our lot, The Aussies however....Clarke out? Haddin in? Lee in? Weather forecast looks ok, it's going to be excellent but I've got a bad feeling about it.

Looks like I'll be there on Friday, which is a bonus, so I can't wait!

After his moaning about Durham's pitch last season I'm quite happy for Key to miss out again and again.

Good luck getting a pint. Two-hour queues when we went last year. Best to smuggle your own in.

Corporate jobby mate.

Splitter!

I am now.

I can't see Flintoff playing now and would rather save him for The Oval than see him bowl at 50%, let them back in the series and then see him injured for the last test.

Personally I'd feel more confident with a bowling attack of Sidebottom and Harmy rather than Broad and a 50% Freddie. However, we've already lost some potential runs with KP out so would it be wise dropping Broad with Freddie out too?

I've had a bad feeling this one all week and I'm not feeling any better now.

Well we're bound to have a shyte first day cos I'll be there.

I concur, the Aussies have the momentum after that last day at Edgbaston.

Aye - Flintoff's out ....

And maybe Prior .... Colly keeping ??

England: AJ Strauss (cap), JM Anderson, IR Bell, RS Bopara, SCJ Broad, PD Collingwood, AN Cook, SJ Harmison, G Onions, MJ Prior (wk), GP Swann
Australia: RT Ponting (cap), MJ Clarke, SR Clark, BJ Haddin (wk), BW Hilfenhaus, MEK Hussey, MG Johnson, SM Katich, MJ North, PM Siddle, SR Watson

Glad Harmison plays but its a big risk. we need to make a good start.

looked plum enough, but he has gone now, good catch by North

Time for Bopara to earn his corn for a change

Thats your fault Grave Bopara gives his wicket away

The guy is feckin rubbish. That was pathetic.

Apologies. The guy is a liability and should never be in the squad

Was wondering whats this beef with the ecb and trying to loose durham the championship, have I missed something as not that up on county cricket I look out for the form english players and durhams results but not sure of the in's and out's

Chips view is maybe because the majority of Durham players went to state comprehensive schools which won't sit well with the old fuddy duddys down at Lords who like their players to be privately educated and have 3 or 4 middle names.

I watched that game last night Chipster and was well impressed with the way Durham played, it was virtually the perfect game for them

Colly gone now

42/4

probably be over by Sunday

All Rippers fault

Didn't he play for Durham a couple of years ago, I know that Katich did

Englands decision to bat whilst playing an extra bowler seems such an English decision bordering on the suicidal. Easy with hindsight, but to be in this mess on a batting track, this early in a test against mediocre bowling, smacks of arrogance.

1-1 going to the Oval then.

For fcks sake.

[ ] thread meant to be about Durham

All out on this brute of a pitch.

Anyone think our bowlers will make the aussies think its a brute of a pitch?

So with a score of 102 all out , the only question to be asked is.................................................. If we bowl them out for 68 or less , will we enforce the follow on.

If I was Ponting I would declare at 0-0 put us straight back in.

No cos there is no follow-on figure. You have to be 150 ahead.

I have no doubt that the Aussies will get 300+ here.

8 off the first 2 balls. I'm not sure how much longer I can watch this.

Thank god the football season is about to start!

14-1 Aus.
Harmison gets Katich in the second over.

Aussies will take the momentum of this into the final game and we're highly unlikely to get the Ashes back now IMO.

They’ll declare on 103 for 1, roll us over again and Punter will try to claim the extra half hour tonight ...

This has been a shambolic display by England.

Ronnie Biggs didn't get out this easy and he's fookin 80 years old.

didnt there use to be a figure of 2/3rd's the first innings score if that was less than 200, hence my figure of 68.

And it is 200 to follow on, in test match (as it 5days)

150 in a 3 or 4 day match

100 in a 2 day match,

Though in a test match(or any other match) if no play takes places on the FIRST day then the follow on total is reduced to that of the next number of days, so it would drop to 150 if no play had occured today. in a 3 day game ,if no play on FIRST day then follow on total is 100. I do remember that much, but for some reason have this 2/3rd total in my head. But I wont argue it may just be something I once dreamt, or more likely misinformed by someone.

Sorry you are right. You have to be 200 behind in a Test, 150 in the County Championship.

4 wickets down now. Come on Harmy, destroy the tail.

Love your optimism! We are beat though.

Having seen this first session this morning I have to agree.

Only 344 needed to start to build a lead.

Not a drop of rain in the sky. Where is the bad weather when you need it?

I was just going to suggest moving Broad up to no 3 for the Oval, but the Aussie bounders have got him out.

He'd still be better than Bopara.

I bet it's f*cking raining in Leeds as well.

I'm about 20 mins from there and it's grey and wet and horrible.