The Ashes, baby!

[El Gordo]

Ponting deserves more credit than that, I think. He had a great knock himself, but has also been credited with declaring when he did -- and looking at the closeness of the scores, did well to choose the moment. Remember that 4 times out of 5 (he said, plucking a statistic out of some random, passing orifice), our tail-enders would have been skittled out, leaving a beaming Ponting to be carried off the pitch in triumph. It was a great display from Monty and Anderson (and Collingwood before them), so lets spread the credit a little.

Of course I'm delighted with the draw but we were fortunate this time. We can't expect lightning to strike twice though, so wake up England.

You have to expect Pietersen to react to the criticism, and thump 150+ in the next innings or two.

Yours wishfully thinking,

EG