Same Old, Same Old

Well, yes. But England managed to put together a decent fist of things in the field against Australia in Brisbane yesterday, although, having only made 155, their chances of winning were always slim.

The gloom of the defeat wasn't without a few rays of sunshine, though. Mal Loye simply stepped up and carried on batting as he has for Lancashire for several years now and has surely inked himself into the World Cup squad (if not the team), and Jon Lewis achieved his best international figures with 4-36.

I haven't thought much until now about some people's claims that Lewis might have been a useful addition to England's Ashes squad, but, although he may lack pace at this level, as an acknowledged line and length merchant, he would surely have been more threatening and consistent than Mahmood, even if he'd been below his best.

That's hindsight for you...