Where is MONTY...? After all the commentators and a thousand people from around the globe... Where is Monty....Holding thinks this is end of his tour, he should forget that he was ever picked for the tour...

Giles is a monotonous, non-threatning bowler, I think I could play him all day...on any pitch...(hahahah, some might cast a doubt or two...but..)

His bowling lacked the zip, the attitude, the creativity and the patience a spinner needs to take wickets (on any pitch)

Everytime after he delivered the ball he capitulated...there was no expectation in his eyes for something to happen...his body language was dull..and never ready for a catch or some apprehension..he never thought he could take anyone out..not even Shane Warne, No. 8

On the other hand, Monty is hungry, he wants to bowl and take wickets, everytime he delivers the ball, his eyes widen, the brows stretched...mouth open...staring down almost expectiing something to happen every delivery....

And this is not JUST a display of body language, this is a direct result of what the bolwer is thinking and bowling...he knows he has a stack of deliveries, he knows he can land them in the right spot and knows he can cause havoc...all a sign of a good spinner....always thiking that he can get the batsman OUT...

Half empty or half fulll...??

As I have iterated, England does not have the capacity to take 20 pickets, this is after controlling for the pitch...not without Monty

What a wicket...flat...a batting paradise...Ponting added another straw to his overgrowing hat and Clarke blossomed...

I remember watching Clarke in India, I always had the impression that he is an amazing player of spin, light on his feet, daft touches, elegant cover drives....dancing all around the pitch...using his crease....excellent innings...

The most important feature of his batting yesterday was that he played with a straight bat, he defended straight, almost every ball landed on the pitch and back to the bowler...kept his head down..and when the oppurtunity showed up...slammed the ball

This is the pitch couple of years back, Dravid scored 233 and 73* to win in the fourth innings on the last day...so far...nothing has happened to let people believe that this is posssible...

England need to be on guard though, Warne can zip a couple and suddenly you have 141/4 or 5 and then...150-200 odd runs in a session or a little more is not imposssible for Aussies (Ponting, Glichrist, Hayden, Lee)...

I still think Flintoff could be more creative...he has got to be...

Flamingo or Pelican...?

It does not matter...they are both AWESOME in their full flow...

The second day belonged, perhaps England owned it..KP batted wonderfully, he is a completely different batsman then any other I have seen from England...

His characterization of respect is limited to the delevery and has nothing to do with pitch or the bowler or the situation... thats what makes him great...

I remember Warner bowling to Tendulkar around the wicket...everyone though it was negative..but Sachin took up the challenge, changed his stance a little and started sweeping, paddling the ball on the on side...when Warne realised that he varied his lenght and what did Sachin do...stared cutting, pulling, driving him all over the park...

Bowling round the wicket is NOT negative, it is within the rules and brings up different permutations as well as differential appalication of technique, both mentally and physically

There are no freebies...however, KP has to take to challenge, improvise, so far he has been patient, but England have had a wonderful day, they have kept Australia on the field for more than a day...last time the Aussies went without a wicket for an entire day was when Laxman and Dravid massacared them..at Calcutta...

Anyone doing good against the Aussies is good for me...two beers down and one and ha half session to go...KP and Coliingwood wonderful batting...