How about Key's tactics. Keep the Pakistani openers in and don't give the rest of the team a bat. Pakistan then retired their openers so Key brings on all the batsmen and gives them a bowl including Read. Woolmer must be furious. . Bell's figures 5 overs 5 maidens. Read's figures 3-1-8-0. It would have been crazy had Read taken Inzi's wicket. He might have thought there was a misprint - Inzi bowled Read c Cook.

The game has just petered out after rain hit this morning and gave both sides little chance of victory.

I don't credit Key's tactics to be honest, especially from the bowlers, as these guys should want to bowl and give show that they can still perform when the wicket is less helpful.

Unless the side just figured they have no chance of test selection so they'll just fluff the rest of the game?

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James May

Maybe they were team tactics from Moores. Don't forget when we went to Pakistani our warm up games were on green seaming wickets and bore no relation to the wickets in the Tests.

That is possible but maybe that is something for when your bowlers are absolutely shattered. This was an opportunity to give our first XI a boost ahead of the series by beating their opponents with a strong XI on the field. Given the bowlers who were actually bowling would have been reasonably fresh they could have gone all out attack for a little while longer.

Well, seen as Read got a bowl, could he get in the side as an all rounder instead of a wicket keeper?

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James May

It's called enterprise - and he should be the England captain for the first Test, at least he showed some gumption not giving any batting pratice, I think there should be more of this type of game, I wish it had been on C4.

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Ern

What does Read bowl by the way? Is it the first time he has ever bowled in first class cricket?!

Good to see the teams being evened up on the injury front.Now whoever loses cannot use it as an excuse as both sides are in the same boat.

I think we would have tried to win had we had Hoggard bowling and there were no rain delays. I can't understand why Bresnan was in the team. I had just finished typing that sentence when I realised that Vaughn is still the official captain and he suggested Hoggard play in the A team and also recommended Bresnan play in the ODIs. Bresnan did not look international standard to me. It would have made more sense to have Tremlett playing.