Swine Flu and all that.

[Sweder]

Cheer up mate, there's always Edgbaston. Birmingham's a great place for packing up troubles and moving on ... the place reminds one that there are those less fortunate, worse places to be and all that.

I prefer to leave pedantry to others but last week was in fact the second Ashes test of this series.
The first you may recall was in Cardiff (strange venue) where your lot comprehensively outplayed our miserable bunch and but for Ponting's woeful over-rate and some last-minute, fairly desperate English skullduggery, would surely have won. I still see the series as nicely poised provided our bloody weather can sort itself out.

Hughes got into the runs in the tour match at the weekend. I'm afraid Johnson looks like a lost lamb, going for plenty against some redoubtable Northants journeymen. Ponting has a headache there; he may need to get Lee off his sick bed. Speaking of silver linings you'll have seen we've selected the Sherminator to come in for Pietersen at four. I seem to recall the Aussies taking great delight in targetting Bell, who they publicly consider weak, and with Bopara at three you must fancy getting into the English tail a little sooner.

If you'll pardon the expression