Channel 5 highlights - The Analyst

Like anyone who has watched English cricket in recent years, I'm aware that Saturday at Trent Bridge is fancy dress day. However, I was not prepared for Simon Hughes in drag on Channel 5's highlights package! What's going on when prime-time TV are showing bald geeks in frocks? Not that I've anything against cross dressing, but it came as something of a surprise. Has cricket reached new levels of homo-erotica today? If so, does that surpass the achievement of Sachin Tendulkar and his 11,000 test runs?

I assume it is to do with Channel 5's (apparent but unspoken) lowest-common-denominator approach to broadcasting. A day when England get spanked 'needs to be livened up' in order to keep the masses enthralled... though with my C5 reception it makes little difference. The days of the tv cameras lingering over beautiful and/or under-dressed women in the crowd have been replaced. I'm not sure it's an improvement.

2nd Test (day2): England v India

India remain in charge of this game after another successful day which saw the maestro - Sachin Tendulkar - pass 11,000 Test Match runs. Jut in case you're wondering that's career runs, not just today's feast on England's seamers...

England took their overnight 169-7 to just 198 all out. Anil Kumble picked up two of the three wickets needed - Tremlett and the 'prize' wicket of Anderson whilst Sidebottom biffed a couple of fours to end 18n.o. India's openers were regularly beaten by the new ball, Sidebottom and Anderson moving the ball in the air, but Karthik and Jaffa stuck diligently to their task and put on 147 for the first wicket. Both men made 50s but perhaps more importantly they protected the Indian middle order from facing the new ball. With the pitch less green than on day 1 there was limited movement off the seam and Inida progressed from 149-2 (Karthik soon following Jaffa back to the pavilion - Panesar and Tremlett doing the damage) to 246-3 when Rahul Dravid was dismissed by Monty Panesar for 37. They added a further 8 runs before the close - which was brought on by bad light just when the new ball was due.

Sachin Tendulkar ended the day unbeaten on 57 but the story of the day was his 11,000th Test Match run. Only Allan Border and record holder Brian Lara (11,953) are ahead of him. The moment came when Tendulkar drove Monty Panesar through the covers for four to take his score to 25. How well England use the new ball tomorrow will have a bearing on how many more of those 11,953 the 'Little Master' can get.

The Chucker