The sun rose uncontested into a fine blue sky and I made my way up the Bakerloo line to HQ. Ten years in the pipeline, and some twenty still to go, but who’s counting? I carefully read the website instructions as to exactly what could and could not be worn, and on a day when temperatures soared, I was thankful to be wearing tailored shorts.

With an iced coffee in hand, I parked myself up and no sooner had I taken in the immediate surrounds than I spied a fellow it warmed my heart to see. We sat out the England innings, and against current form Root posted a super ton, with Willey Jnr slamming a rapid 50 at the end. 320 was a fighting total, especially after no shows from the big guns such as Buttler and Stokes.

A man a plan a canal Panama (my all time favorite palindrome).

Sitting together through the India innings was a joy, as the tourists just kept getting snuffed out. Dohni should have led the charge earlier, but then by the time his partners were down to Kuldeep, perhaps he must have felt a responsibility to just stick around.

A truly splendid day. 1-1 in the ODI series. All to play for at Headingely tomorrow.

Met up with ex-work colleagues to go to a 20/20 bash at Lords. It was a fun evening. A London Derby of sorts. Middlesex v Surrey. It was a pleasant, well supported event. Morne Morkel put down a catch just infront of us under the media centre and perhaps had he taken it, and Cartwright had been sent back to the pavilion things might have been different, but as it was, Middlesex went on to win by three wickets.

England went to Bristol to play the deciding T20 in the sweltering heat. Root was dropped to make way for Stokes, but 198 didn’t prove to be enough, and India knocked them off with ease. Rohit managed to post an unbeaten round 100*. The T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020 has a nice ring to it. Meanwhile, the old country is in the grip of a wonderful heatwave and Football World Cup fever. It can’t really happen can it?