England count their blessings

The injury to Alastair Cook has been a blessing in disguise to the selectors who were rightly criticised for not taking a third opener on tour as the problem seems to have solved itself more by luck than good judgement.

Woeful bowling and muddled thinking

Geoff Boycott reviews England’s two T20 matches in South Africa.

Victory in South Africa would be Strauss’s biggest coup

This is a huge tour for England, and unless there are a few injuries in the South African ranks – or some hefty slices of luck going Andrew Strauss’s way – I can’t say I’m feeling too confident about their prospects.

Now win in South Africa

It’s a fantastic achievement by England to win the Ashes, and we’re all thrilled to bits. Like the last home series four years ago, it was a contest of tiny margins.