The Wardman Wire

I was scathing about the England performance this morning. Well - it has turned around and it is now anybody’s game.

Luke at the Corridor of Uncertainty puts it like this:

It takes something for a team to match, or better, one of England’s infamous collapses, but New Zealand managed just that today. England’s brave attempt at capitulation was admirable: 5 for 28. New Zealand, however, out-collapsed them with a very flacid 7 for 29. Superb collapsing all round.

What a day. Who cares for Twenty20 when Test cricket can provide sixteen wickets in a single day, the momentum and energy flipping to and fro every hour? It was breathless cricket, with some wonderful bowling from the two spinners - Daniel Vettori and Monty Panesar - and some questionable batting mixed in among it.

Here is snippet from the commentary this morning.

And here is Monty Panesar taking his 100th Test Wicket. He has reached it in his 27th Test Match.

That’s the joy of cricket. And there’s another six hours to listen to tomorrow.

It will be a superb day as the match is on a knife edge, and that is after a morning when it looked like a disaster for England.

If you’re in Manchester it will cost £23 for an adult and £8 for a child for the whole day.

That’s less than half the price you would pay for a quarter as much first class football. It’s a no brainer.

Incidentally, I have a pair of tickets for the 5th Day of the next Test Match at Trent Bridge (Monday 9th June) available, and I’ll be starting a meme among cricket loving bloggers with those as the prize.

Watch this space.