That Summer game - no comments

What a difference a few months makes. Back in the Summer all sorts of people were blogging about cricket (if somewhat prematurely), relishing England's tussle with Australia, and the historic Ashes win.

But barely a peep has been heard about England's 3-Test series in Pakistan, where England currently find themselves (play on the final day begins in 6 or 7 hours) battling for the right to come home with a 1-0 defeat rather than a likely 2-0.

The fact that it's not on terrestrial TV (only on Radio 5 Live Sports Extra in the mornings) can't help, nor the fact that we're lucky to get 75 overs bowled in the day instead of the full 90, nor the perennial moans about the quality of the pitches and the legality of various bowling actions, nor the fact that - despite a few centuries - England have under-performed and rarely threatened, and that in the battle between bat and ball, the bat seems to be streets ahead.

All the same, there have been some great individual performances: Trescothick's 193 and Kaneria's bowling in the 1st Test, Inzamam's 306 runs in his last three innings, and Mohammad Yousuf's 223 yesterday. Surely worth a mention.

Still, from an England perspective it does seem a bit dismal. I don't think they have a lot of competition for "Team of the Year" (nor, indeed, Andrew Flintoff for Sports Personality of the Year), but it would have been good not to to go out on such a flat note.

Especially when you consider how easily Australia brushed West Indies aside last week.