Donald to stay with England for summer

Allan Donald has apparently been offered a contract as England's bowling coach until the end of the summer. Great news, not because England's bowlers have shown any significant improvement while he has been around, but because 6 weeks was too short an amount of time to evaluate his abilities as a coach. This extended period to work with England's bowlers will allow Donald to show his true skills, and Moores to make a truer judgement on whether he is the right man for the job.

The worst Test day ever?

I didn't have the chance to watch any of yesterday's play so it was interesting to hear Jonathan Agnew had described the day's play as "just about the worst day of Test cricket I can remember."

I can only hope that Allan Donald manages to work some magic with Harmison and Plunkett, but it's not a job I would wish on anyone, not even Troy Cooley. England can't afford two mis-firing bowlers out of 4 so I presume that one of them will be dropped when Hoggard is fit again. I wonder if the time has come for Harmison to work on his bowling outside of the Test arena and come back when he is ready, and has proven he is ready.

With poor old Strauss getting a duck (I still maintain he's a class player who has mysteriously lost confidence after 3 terrible umpiring decisions in a row last winter), the England team for the next test could look a little different.

How's about this? Vaughan, Cook, Bopara, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Prior, Plunkett, Panesar, Sidebottom, Hoggard.

When Stuart Broad is ready he could then come in for Plunkett - Moores reportedly being a Broad fan.

I'd love to see Vaughan get another hundred today...fingers crossed.