Blimey, what a nightmare start to the game, half the team off sick or barely recovered from being sick. I have to wonder what our players eat when they go on these tours, I spent 9 weeks in Asia and wasn't ill once, and that was eating from unhygenic street vendors half the time so the fact they're in 5 star hotels i really don't understand why they're always ill.

Anyway, the worst thing is having vaughan crook again, he's clearly unfit and i do wonder if this is going to be the end of his career now, even if he's fit for the first test it seems pretty likely he'll break down in that and will miss the rest of the tour, and if not then he's batting on with an injury that will badly effect his movement, and it's not like he's been in sparkling form as it is so with an injury he's likely to become a liability (let's face it, he's no steve waugh when it comes to battling through an injury and getting a century). Quick phone call to Ali Cook perhaps?

The batting performance this morning appears to be woeful, can't find any reports on the state of the pitch though, we're good at playing pace normally so it seems odd to get skittled by pace so easily if there's nothing in the pitch. time for Pietersen and Jones to show why Fletcher puts so much good faith in them, sink or swim..

On that note, having gone into lunch on 9 off 36 balls he's now on 46 from 55 balls, he certainly is a frustrating player, he really could be one of the greats if he can learn to control his initial bursts better, but then that's what makes him him, like shahid afridi, we just have to take the rough with the smooth i guess, as his smooth can be exceptional.

Typically, as i finish typing that, i've put the kybosh on him, retired hurt on 47, bah :/