Posted by After day two of the second Test, the important question is this: Is Michael Vaughan getting louder?
Maybe he was always like this, but it seems to us that he’s crossed the speaking-shouting threshold this season. At the start of Channel 5’s highlights programme, when he’s standing in the middle of the pitch, it’s as if he’s trying to make himself heard by the people in the stands. And also like he thinks those people in the stands are completely deaf.
The people in the stands were more interested in a Yorkshire opener who’s still playing though. Adam Lyth made his first Test hundred. We haven’t yet had any particularly interesting thoughts about him. He has a good record in first-class cricket and now he’s made a hundred in a Test. Our feelings are therefore broadly positive. We know everyone’s supposed to have strong opinions about everything these days, but we’re just going to have to add to that view with time.
A word too for Stuart Broad, who secured what must surely rate as one of the weirdest five-wicket hauls in Test history. Incisive and expensive in equal measure.
My views on lyth after the first test was that he was rubbish and should be discarded immediately. It’s important to note I didn’t watch any of his innings and I based my opinion mainly on his face.
I watched quite a bit of yesterday’s innings and I’ve changed my mind and believe he should open for England for the next 7, maybe 8 years. This is based totally on him scoring a century in a test. Something both Robson and Compton were unable to do.
Bowlers doing them bowlings and all that. You are never ahead in a good test match.
And tail-end battery to boot! All this match needs is a wicket from a part-time medium pacer in his first and only over in test cricket.
Saw Ballance warming up his bowling arm at the start of the innings. Bit disappointed he didn’t open.
These men of Kent have got some excellent names. I particularly like Northeast and Bell-Drummond (weren’t they the KLF?). Cowdrey as well, the old man’s grandson.
We were wondering why Bell-Drummond seemed to roll off the tongue so well – that’s why.
Daisy (who tends to listen rather than read – she famously once asked me why Sir Alf Ganguly was knighted) came up with another classic malapropnym today.
“What is Southee’s real name?”
“Tim Southee”.
“No, I mean his real name. Is it South? Or South-something? I mean, Southy, with-a-y, is his nickname, right?”
“His name is actually Southee, s-o-u-t-h-e-e”, I said, bursting into laughter.
“Oh dear”, said Daisy, “will that one end up on King Cricket along with Sir Alf Ganguly?”
“Probably”.
Harsh, Ged. My gf knows nothing about cricket. She thought New Zealand had won as soon as they went into the lead yesterday. She may inadvertently be proved right.