The excruciating thing about Test Cricket is that there always seems to be a glimmer of hope. It’s like a novel, it’s like love, it’s like anything that is worth putting time and effort into. But the problem, is that with all that optimism can comes the dreaded come down.

On Saturday night, I watched (on TV) Buttler and Bess pull England back into a position where there was just that glimmer. We’d fallen apart on the first day. 184 all out. You rarely win test matches from that position. But with those two taking us into Day 4 on 66 and 55 not out, I just thought perhaps we can give our bowlers something to bowl at.

It was not to be. We were torn to pieces within the first hour of Sunday’s play. The first time we have lost in May since 1921. Agnew blames the football warm-ups, there may be something in that, but it’s a mind-set.

All eyes on Root batting at three. Ed Smith sends out a statement by selecting upon form in the IPL and thoughts are with Strauss as his wife battles Cancer. Roll on the Test.

…and who can blame them. Australia at an all time moral low after the ball-tampering fall out, and India seeking a first Test series win. It will be a good series, but first India host newbies Afghanistan in Bangalore in June. Can’t imagine it will be all that close, but cricket  is a funny old game, as I am sure Pakistan will find out when they play Ireland in a few weeks in a suburb north of Dublin.