He's in good form is Todd Flanders. And there'd be a worrying lack of gingers in the middle order with Morgan out of the reckoning if Bairstow's not picked. Can't expect Bell to do it all himself.

annoying kind of player Ian Bell - just when you think he isn't test class he comes up with the goods and keeps his place - I personally rate him highly and would put him in my test side
what's the latest on Rashid - deffo gone to Lancs ?

Shahzad, you mean? Bloody hell, we can't let Rashid go as well....
Yes, Shahzad has gone to Lancs and, if memory serves, picked up a couple of wickets in his first spell.

Warwickshire look set for a good score here. Not the best of starts from Lancs.

Simon Katich scored a 49-ball 50 at Headingley. Yes, 49. No, not 249. Bet it was still pig-ugly though.

see Essex under the kosh after a good start

Sarwan proving his class with another unbeaten century

form is temporary but class is permanent...

Test match underway. Bresnan plays and here's something I wrote on the topic

Test match underway. Bresnan plays and here's something I wrote on the topic

Barath looks handy in tricky conditions.

Conedy of errors there in that runout. Prior nearly inducted himself into a Question of Sport what happened next archive there.

If anyone's in the Birmingham area, could you pop along to Edgbaston and knee-cap Warwickshire's batsmen? Thanks.