.....batting again when they'd just worn out the strike bowlers in the test.

Well called Cook.

We bowled them out in 43 overs! Nothing to do with tiredness.


Still the correct decision though at 1-0 up with two and half days left. Compton is out of his depth so I'll excuse him but the tempo of Trotts knock had been embarrassing.

You don't think, with a follow on in the offing, giving them plenty of balls to swing at, then making them bowl immediately after wasn't a good decision?

Read my post again.

I did. 119-1 at the close, their bowlers aren't making great inroads are they? I wonder why that is?

...last night I nearly enforced a follow-through....

Because Trent Boult is injured, New Zealand are out of the game and demoralised.

Had England bowled again they realistically could have them 5 or 6 down again now but the reason Cook didn't enforce the follow on is because the only way we could really lose a four day game from this position on a dry pitch is having to bat last. Batting again wins the series.

The decision was to not lose the game and win the series 1-0 at least, 2-0 at best. Can't blame him to be honest, especially if he had a lumper for a 1-0 series win.

For someone who was such a brilliant cricketer and is presumably paid a decent wad by Sky Botham talks a lot of shite.

For me more than anything batting again has put to bed any issues about Ashes selection as a player has been shown up to be and not nice to say it, consumed by nerves and mentally weak. Miles ahead in the game against a bowling attack without it's spearhead and still didn't have the confidence to play a shot.

Declare at 400 surely?

They'll probably bat until an hour before tea. They should declare at lunch looking at tomorrow's forecast.

Half hour slog now surely, lead of 430 then 60 overs at them today

Really should declare now but can see them batting on for another hour.

Probably declare when Trott reaches tonne or is out

Can see this one being a draw and Cook getting pretty heaviliy criticised which is a shame seeing as we've been pretty faultless for the whole test

Forecast has improved slightly for tomorrow. A couple of quick ones after tea and they'll win tonight.

Still saying heavy rain all day on my Met Office app which is normally pretty accurate although admittedly it's not the oracle of world weather.

Like many I can't see why we batted for so long, they were never going to score 300 nevermind 400

They're almost half way to 300 now, so would have been a little risky.

When you bat again you have to bat the opposition out of the game, no point in giving them a sniff when we're winning the series.

I didn't say I'd have declared at 300, just that they won't get 300.

380-400 would have been more than enough. Can you really see this NZ lineup breaking a world record against our attack on this pitch? I can't imagine so many other captains from other countries being so cautious.

The important thing from these NZ tests is that the team finds form and its only Compton who isn't. Start with Root opening in the Ashes? It's a bold move but I think he's up to it

I can imagine other captains doing exactly the same actually. You can't really set a team less than 400 with nearly two days left. I still think he should have declared at lunch though.

Yes I think Root has to open, I think Compton is out of his depth even when he scores runs it's too slowly. Him and Trott batting all day is a tedious prospect!

Compton's had four poor innings but he saved the series in New Zealand. It might be a bit early to write him off.

He's played 9 Tests and is averaging 32. Not good enough. Think he'll struggle even more with technical issues he has against high quality pace bowling, which the Aussies have.

Well put like that, Bairstow isn't shining either, so who would you take?

Bairstow has had a really good game.

Sixty odd first innings and a quick twenty odd not out today.

My Ashes top six would be Cook, Root, Trott, KP, Bell, Bairstow.

Fair call like with Prior to follow. I still wouldn't write Compton off yet though.

You can't go into an Ashes series with an out of form inexperienced opener, he hasn't done enough to prove he can hack it with the big boys.

Root doesn't seem to be fazed by anything put infront of him and is almost certainly going to be a key player for us for the future so I'd throw him in at the deep end, I think he can more than handle the Aussies.

Bell and Bairstow haven't been overly convincing in 2013 but I'd still keep them in.

I think it's most pleasing though that the bowlers have done well as a unit, the last thing we needed would be for Broad and Finn to go into the Aussies out of form and relying soley on Jimmy and Swann.

Compton is nearly thirty, has a decent first class average of 43 but bats on the flattest wicket in the country every other game at Taunton. He's not going to get any better.

Root looks a special talent.

Odds on an England win shortening, weather must be improving. If we get any play we can't mess about

What's the drill with the folow on nowadays like?

It always used to be 200 behind didn't it, have they changed the rules recently?

So did I in a five day test.

They lost day one so it becomes a four day game and the follow on is 150.

All is well that ends well but it can't have been the best nights sleep Cook has ever had as he'd have got slaughtered if we'd have been a wicket short.

420 is more than enough to set any team, nevermind a struggling NZ team and he should have had more faith in his bowlers and got them in earlier yesterday for me.

Not many positives the Aussies can take out of this series though and I think they'll be dreading coming over here even more now. Good stuff.