Is Flintoff (whisper it) back?

Scenes like this will have English cricket fans, whatever the result at Edgbaston, nervously dreaming of the Flintoff of old. To type any more would be tempting fate.

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Sehwag defies Mendis

Sehwagology gained another batch of converts today, as its Leader (who may or possibly may not have any brains, according to one non-believer) made an unbeaten ton, notable for the seeming ease with which he played the bowling of Ajantha Mendis, the scourge of Indian batsmen and claimer of two more wickets today (those of Gambhir and Dravid).

India could have been out of sight, but four wickets fell for only 11 runs, with Mendis making the breakthrough before Vaas snared Bollywood’s Sachin Tendulkar and Ganguly. Tomorrow is likely to be an interesting day of cricket.

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Vaughan gets bat on ball, allegedly

Michael Vaughan was out first ball today, but at least he managed to get bat on ball (sort of) and edge it to Mark Boucher rather than get bowled in a hilarious fashion as he usually does.

As previously noted, Vaughan’s recent form with the bat has put him under pressure, to which, as Aggers can confirm, he is not necessarily reacting positively.

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Bolster v. “to give a boost to, to support as if with a bolster”

England have dropped/rested/grown jealous of Stuart Broad‘s good looks, restoring Paul Collingwood to the side to face South Africa at Edgbaston in his place. Given that this is apparently being done “to give the impression of bolstering their batting line-up“, isn’t it odd that the player dropped has a higher Test batting average (albeit from only 11 innings) than the player coming in as a replacement?

From South Africa’s point of view, the main news is that Steyn is injured, so Andre Nel will be playing, in a gift to cricket bloggers everywhere.

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Rob Key doesn’t know or care

Rob Key still isn’t sure whether or not Kent will be able to take part in the Twenty20 Champions League, as they fielded ICL-contaminated players like Justin Kemp in the Twenty20 Cup.

And if Rob Key doesn’t know (or indeed care), who does? The ECB are hopeful that a compromise can be reached, but what do they know?

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The World Twenty20 Qualifier

Not all countries are automatically invited to the Twenty20 party. Some have to qualify. There are three spots available for Associates in next year’s tournament, including the extra slot which has been created by the non-participation of Zimbabwe. Next weekend, the following teams will try and fill them:

• Group A features Ireland, Scotland and Bermuda. Ireland should probably top this group, but you can never reckon against the mighty Sluggo.

• Group B includes Kenya, the Netherlands and Canada. Kenya are hotly tipped, but their preparation hasn’t gone to plan. How they will cope with the Belfast weather is anyone’s guess.

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Harmison returns – wicketkeepers beware

Steve Harmison has been recalled to the England squad for the Third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston. Is this a short-term measure, a knee-jerk reaction to the failure of innovative selection in the last Test, or simply evidence that the 2005 Ashes DVD isn’t worn out yet?

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