KP reaches 1000 runs in one day internationals with a 6.Not bad in 21 innings.

Out caught next ball.

Once more England are throwing away silly wickets.

194/6 KP out... to a daft shot again.. and on the next ball from the 6... why oh why must he try to hit everything out of the park... he just hit a 6.. still well played..72 runs... need another 40-50 odd.. blackwell and GO jones playing.

__________________

5 overs to go.. 201/6.. england needs to strike a few...40 or so runs... should do it...but it has to be G.O Jones.. Ian blackwell cant really be expected to hit fours and sixes right after coming in..

__________________

Some good death bowling from the Indian quick/slow bowlers in Pathan and Sreesanth, a good mixture of slower balls mainly and quicker ones with the odd ball at 65mph .

A good knock from KP, a bit daft the way he got out considering he has done so well.

I think Plunker is going to get knocked about a bit and we may see some part time spin.

Maybe you should pay more attention to the vast majority of his innings rather than to his eventual demise:

KP Pietersen 40* (68b 1x4)

The guy was moving the ball around very nicely, finding the gaps and showing what good hands he has got!

When hr did eventually open his shoulders he was not taking undue risks... and was generally playing shots oppropriate to the deliveries faced (including a notable reverse sweep): the eventual dismissal looked lame.... but was lamentable in that it was pretty much he first poor shot!

England yet again living up to their current ODI ranking. I'm sure the pitch will play just fine when india bat, I can't really see them losing any more than 3 wickets at worst getting this total, but then again they seem to be just as prone to daft collapses as us at the moment so there could be a game of it afterall.

To me it's not the players but the tactics and coaching, Fletcher is a good test coach but a completely useless odi coach, he's clueless and it shows every time with the poor tactics employed by the england batsmen. They constantly bat like idiots in odi's, it's blatantly not ability as they can bat in first class odi games and in tests quite happily, but when it comes to internationals they don't seem to time their innings or know what role they're supposed to play in the side. The team selection is a joke, why have two wicket keepers in the side when we have two batsmen in the squad twiddling their thumbs, why are solanki and bell in the squad in the first place if they're not considered better batsmen than either gojones or prior who are all rounders? It just makes no sense, play one wicket keeper and one batsman, and if those two batsmen aren't considered good enough then bring in two batsmen that are, it really is mind boggling.

I really like blackwell as a somerset player, and i'd love to see him do the same thing on the international stage, but as far as batting is concerned in odi's he's proved to be completely useless, he just doesn't seem to know when to swing for it and when to just play, there's more to his game than just slogging but for some reason when he plays for england he feels he has to hit 6 sixes in an over to justify his place.

Poor management and, as a result, poor squad and team selection. We need a new manager for the odi team, regardless of whether we suddenly pull off a miracle win here with blackwell taking 7-20.

An article in yesterday's Telegraph suggested a rather interesting an perfectly credible explanation that is apparently getting aired a bit: that England's players (esp. Vaughan) aren't finding the "intensity" in ODI cricket that they need in order to perform.

Let's face one truth: ODI cricket in England - at least at most counties - is still basically a hit and giggle sideshow to the county championship. The Sunday frolic gives a nice breather between the "real" work of four day games.... and the knockout competition is just a minor distraction, much as the FA cup is to sides looking to succeed in the premiership and in Europe.

The guys out in the middle are there because of the way they rise to the really big challenges like the Ashes and Test tours of the subcontinent.... and the closest thing they get to a "rest" is a ODI series - light relief after all those 5 day matches.

By contrast.. those sides who excel first and foremost in the ODI game - notably India and Pakistan - appear to take the pyjama game far, FAR too seriously....

India doing a good impersonation of England the other day.93-5 currently,having thrown wickets away to sloppy dismissals.

Having batted poorly early in the innings India are now cruising to victory.Raina and Dhoni to see them home comfortably.

What a surprise. we lost, because, and this will you really shock you, we didnt score enough runs !

__________________
Nothing says "Obey Me" like a bloody head on a fence post!