Osavo

Smashed my 5km PB by 3 minutes yesterday evening, down to 22.55 now. Buzzing with that as I've been very distance rather than speed focused recently. Great North Run now just a month away, aiming for sub 2hrs which should be achievable from this point. First ever half though so not entirely sure what to expect from it...

Won't be watching any of it, rather watch the one-day cup on YouTube. Might be convinced to engage if it was a proper t20 tournament but genuinely find the scoreboard and format unbearable. Watching it on tv with those crap graphics all over the screen is migraine inducing.

On reflection I think that is the best series of Test cricket I have ever watched. Discounting the 2005 Ashes which many will consider it to be, since I was only 6. There is so much to be said for a 5 Test series, rather than squeezing 2x 3 Test series into a summer. It allows rivalries and storylines to develop so much more. Also gives each team so much longer to scope each other out, meaning you start to see weaknesses exposed by the end of the series. There's a reason England vs India, the Ashes and the BGT are considered the pinnacle and ultimate challenge for these lads. I understand why neither side would go for it ($$$) but would love to see New Zealand/Pakistan/South Africa come over and play 5 Tests, with a white ball series against the same team tagged on, in a more traditional style cricketing summer. Far, far superior to next summer's schedule for example, with shortened Test series and then some random white ball tours wedged in.

Sickening defeat, Brook's dismissal does now look a little silly when those two were cruising. On the other hand, Bethell and Smith really should have seen that out for us and both looked incredibly nervy. A wonderful series though, 25 days where it has flip-flopped throughout. Think a 2-2 result is probably about fair in the end.

4-1 vs India in 2018 no?

Great nip-back delivery, but the sheer number of times Pope gets out lbw with his head falling over is very poor for a top order bat. Can see him getting annihilated by Cummins and Hazlewood in the winter.

Went on Friday night at Wembley, absolutely incredible. Something that I never thought I would be lucky enough to see live, only being 26. Sounded brilliant and the best part was they both looked like they were having a blast, especially Noel. 90k people singing every word to every song for 2 and a half hours. No band matches that.

Potts currently playing for Durham. Accept their point on Robinson but even with that fitness risk I would like to see him given another shot. Has a fantastic record in test matches.

Not at all sold on Jamie Overton but would love to be proven wrong. Potts and the oddly sidelined Robinson would surely be better bets. Looking forward to seeing Bethell bat however going without a first-rate spinner leaves a lot of work for those seamers, particularly Woakes who looks exhausted.

Deportivo third. Shame about that massive sleeve sponsor.

Batting down to 10 really which would be great, Carse showed the value of lower order runs in the last test. Argument to say Bethell in for Pope imo. They won't change it, obviously, but we know what Pope can (and more importantly can't) do, whereas would be good to get a look at Bethell against a top quality attack in order to form a better judgement for the winter.

Brilliant bowling by England this morning, got it absolutely spot on. This really is a fabulous series. Shame it's not on terrestrial so more could get the chance to watch and realise how great Test cricket is at its best. Saying that, Sky's coverage is top tier.

Brilliant bowling by Carse.

Brilliantly. Tomorrow should be another great day of Test cricket - just enough balance between bat and ball to keep this a lot more interesting than Edgbaston. I disagree and actually think the gamesmanship showed good steel from our openers. Crawley quite happy to go out and play an over, but ensured that it was maximum one over in what were the hardest conditions to bat in the whole day, physically and mentally. As the commentators pointed out, avoided an instance such as the one before lunch in the last test, where allowing India to squeeze in an extra over before lunch yielded a wicket. Not Crawley's biggest fan, and the over rates in this test have been nothing short of a disgrace, but I didn't mind that. If the shoe was on the other foot, Rahul and Jaiswal would have been doing exactly the same.

Great bit of needle at the end there.

Completely daft single to take for the sake of trying to get Rahul through to 100 before lunch. Why? They were absolutely cruising, barely a chance all morning. Great throw down by Stokes but it's brainless cricket to give him the opportunity. Good for England, mind.

KL Rahul always looks so unflustered batting in England. Was brilliant in 2021 and looks top class this series too. Terrific player. Astonishes me that he averages <35 in test cricket!

Kuldeep Yadav would have been licking his lips at a 5th day pitch with this target. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and all that. What a great test match by the way, great way to kick off what should be a captivating series. Just hope rain doesn't ruin it tomorrow and we get a result either way.

Boxing Day test, days 1 & 2 sorted for me. Cannot wait! Hoping we're still in it by then...

Calvin Bassey too. Not with us but building a solid Premier League career with Fulham.

Great to see Tongue back. From what I've watched this season on the streams, he has looked very quick and bowls a really awkward length for batsmen. Really interested to see how Cook gets on. On a purely numbers basis, has been the standout bowler in the County Championship for a few seasons now.

Absolutely brilliant Test match cricket!

Abbas swinging this game on his own. Why he was omitted from the Pakistan Test team for so long is a mystery to me, yes he's not the quickest but his control of line and length is second to none. Superb bowler.

What's the point in having an under 26s band if you're just going to charge the same as an adult? Terrible pricing.