5 Down at tea, finally can come home to some action (and see NZ getting a battering)

Hopefully McCullum can get a big knock today, with support from Vettori, Oram + The tail.

BTW, saw Taylor played a nervy knock, Redmond didnt last long at all. Marshall seemed to, any short details on how he batted? Same with Flynn (although again, it was very short).

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Well it's pretty much as I expected so far. The inexperienced Kiwi batsmen are struggling against the movement being generated in these conditions by our seamers. In fairness to them, they had the worst possible conditions to bat in, but tough luck.

McCullum has been the only Kiwi batsman to patiently grind out some runs and it's no coincidence that he's the most experienced batsman in the top 6.

This Kiwi top 5 are in for a gruelling and testing time this series.

Yes they look similar to South Africa in the 90's in that 1-5 will get so many runs and the rest will score more than the batsmen do.

McCullum has played well,Marshall did ok and showed some fight.Taylor threw his wicket away and the others weren't in long enough really to know how they will do in the rest of the series.We should be looking to bowl them out for under 250 but i have a sneaky feeling they will get close to 300 thanks to McCullum,Oram and Vettori.

Just saw this on cricinfo.

This news from the MCC has arrived: "1500 tickets will be on sale tomorrow priced at £65 & £60 for adults; and £20 for Under -6s (subject to availability) will go on sale at 9am from the North Gate Sales Point in Wellington Place. The availability of tickets cannot be guaranteed and potential purchasers are advised to arrive early."

£65/60!!!!!

Pretty horrible price, Ninj, but not unusual for England these days. Unfortunately, the WICB is well aware of the going rate in England and this price is pretty close to what they charged me (and many other England supporters) to go to the Kensington Oval when England were last there. And I'm expecting much the same for next year. That's globalisation for you!

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Money won't buy you friends. But it gets you a better class of enemy.
Spike Milligan

What's the betting that for £60 you end up square of the wicket and with absolutely no chance of seeing what movement the bowlers are managing?

For £60 I'd hope to be in a hospitality box right behind the bowlers arm with all my drinks included, a three course meal at lunch and a buffet at tea. I suspect that having paid their £60, the punters in question will be expected to by food and drink from within the ground at inflated prices, with many folk spending a further £10-£20 at franchised outlets.

Add in the travel costs and the expense is just plain diabolical... especially given that you get more idea of what's going on when listening to the radio / watching the TV from the comfort of your own home!

You're broadly on the mark there, Rachael. A hospitality package at Lord's would cost three or four times your sixty quid, I'd guess - and £10 won't buy you a glass of beer for each session. All rather sad, really, but for the time being I still see most of my live cricket outside the UK.

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Money won't buy you friends. But it gets you a better class of enemy.
Spike Milligan

Spot on there Rachael, watching at home is better than paying inflated prices, and with petrol at £1.00+ and rising - attending live cricket any distance from home is just like you say "diabolical".

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Ern

First bit of cricket this season.
Tell me how come everyone knows under the right conditions Anderson gets wickets. But every time he gets a few wickets they start hyping him as a good Test bowler.
Anderson is like Kallis bowling wise given the right conditions he is good.

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"Checkout the big brain on Brett" Pulp Fiction

Exactly John.

Which is why i would have gone with Hoggard as he has the ability to take wickets even when conditions aren't in his favour which Anderson doesn't.