Orgy

An ODI tonight followed by three cricket tests starting in the next two days will probably mean a quiet blog - certainly on anything other than cricket - for the next few days.

All three tests are on TV in NZ too - that's 18 hours of cricket each day from Friday through to Monday - if the games last that long. Certainly I can see only the weather holding up the length of both the NZ - Sri Lanka and SAF - India tests; these should not last anywhere near 450 overs.

The Ashes test starting tomorrow I'm sitting on the fence for a while. Either England will collapse like a house of cards after their pyschological scarring last week or they really do have a bit of mental ticker and will surprise everyone with their fight. If they go in with the same XI I'd err to the side of the first option. I'm also waiting to see what the pitch is like before committing any hard-earned to a view. With the draw over 3/1 it's not that false a price if the pitch is similar to last year's.

PS Candyman - there was nothing wrong with the pitch for the first NZ - SL test; there was a helluva lot wrong with the batting on both sides ...