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Edgbaston crowd now chanting 'There's only one Ricky Ponting...'

Gerbil features has gone! Australia now 52-2 and still some way behind on 1st innings. Could be a big day tomorrow.

England seeing out the last couple of wickets with some attitude - now 355-8, Johnson giving as much abuse as he is giving away runs. I fancy Broad to shut him up here.

Good day for Jimmy the wayward freak today. Lots of luck, sweat and Kuertzen helped him on the way to his first Ashes 5 for. Aussies doing an England impression, losing 9 wickets for little over 100 runs... ending on 263.

England then lost Cook and Bobara to lazy shots to end the day on 116-2... leaving plenty of scope to fuck things up completely tomorrow.

Well I was completely wrong about yesterday - England managed 435 but then normal service resumed and apart from Flintoff sorting out one of the convicts they've continued onto 249-1 with gerbil features and his new best mate getting tons.

336-7 is how England finish and Australia will be happy with that. Little chance of England seeing out 400 but who knows what will happen early tomorrow.

KP dropped - he's having more chances than Berlusconi.

First day of the Ashes with hopes in England as high as the bankers at the top of the financial bubble.

So far today all very even - England wobbled then rebuilt now wobbling again but if they can see the day out without more wickets then they'll be happy on around 280/4.

The difference between football and cricket - Chris Lewis

This article tells it all... how cricketers are reduced to smuggling cocaine whereas footballers are the ones that take it. Perhaps there simply isn't enough money in being a professional cricketer?

Pietersen and Flintoff - the two most overrated players on the planet. Both seem to be 2-3 years past their best. Pietersen's been done over by the English 'system' and Flintoff is an orthopaedic surgeon's dream.