BUMBLE AT THE TEST
PEACE AND LOVE... MAN!
I WAS sent down the King’s Road in Chelsea yesterday for a bit of nostalgia about the swinging 60s. I was dressed as a hippy and there was plenty of love and peace. Not to mention the odd song from Procol Harum and the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. It’ll be on Sky at lunch today. Don’t miss it, man!
JOFRA HAD THE EDGE
DAVID WARNER still can’t get going, only he was done by Jofra Archer this time on an overturned decision. Much debate about ultra edge and whether he touched it. It wasn’t a great appeal by England but sometimes you can be guided by a player’s reaction and Warner just walked off. I reckon there was the faintest of nicks.
WHICH MITCH IS BEST?
I CAN’T help thinking Australia picked the wrong team here. Mitchell Marsh (right) seems the exact same bowler as Peter Siddle — only a bit quicker. Mitchell Starc would have been the better bet on the angle, pace-wise and in creating rough for Nathan Lyon. I reckon they’ve missed a trick but time will tell...
STEAKS HIGH IN THE CO
VENTURED over to Pimlico on Thursday night. Or the Co, as opposed to Soho, the Ho or the Hill, as in Primrose. It’s a nice spot close to the Oval and, as I’m persevering with being a pescatarian, I plumped for the carrot risotto. I have to say it’s not going well. My esteemed colleague Ian Ward had a whopping steak and I was salivating…
STRAIGHT ANSWER, STEVE
A WORD on Steve Smith (right). See previous. And the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. And the one before that. It’s now 700 runs-plus for the series. But finally I have an answer to my question. How do you get Steve Smith out? A straight one from Chris Woakes. Simple.
SAM’S THE MAN FOR ME PARTY? I’LL DRINK TO THAT!
THERE’S been a party atmosphere in our commentary box. Shane Warne was given a chocolate cake yesterday for reaching 50 not out, going on 22, and Beefy rocked up with two cases of his own label wine. He started getting into it after tea — shades of John Arlott who would get shot of a couple of bottles before lunch while he was commentating!