David Kelly

To me, the fact that it's taken so long, suggests there's been a thorough investigation. I can't imagine what evidence there can be against him other than one word against another. It's not as if there was loads of cameras to pick it up. Obviously it's not good for us if he gets a ban but if he's done it he deserves everything he gets.

I'm glad Ballance is finally out of the team. Cook's saying he thinks he'll play again but we have to hope not. I've not seen anything of Hameed so I'll be interested to see how he does. Duckett in a four could really see the best of him also. I might have an early night tonight and try to catch a bit of the match before graft tomorrow.

Took me about three episodes of the wire before I was hooked. I had to start again with the second season too. After that I blitzed it in about two weeks. I did the final season in a day when I was off sick.

Voges has an unbelievable average for someone who looks anything but a good player every time I've seen him.

It just seemed that very little was happening the first few episodes. I haven't written it off completely but I haven't found myself desperate to get back to it.

I started Rectify but struggled to get past the first two or three episodes. The new season of Black Mirror has been really good so far (I've watched the first four).

I've watched a bit of this over the last few days while I've been kept awake with kidney stones. SA have been excellent, especially when you consider Steyn's injury when Australia were just one man down in the first innings and AB's absence. Rabada was brilliant throughout. He looked really good against us last winter and as long as he stays fit, I can see him getting right up to the top of the bowling rankings in the future. Australia didn't bat too badly in the second innings but were a joke once Warner was out in the first. It looks like the they have some of the same problems that England do if they're going to have collapse's like that. Great to see though.

Aye it's one of the best episodes they've done. Helped by having Jerome Flynn in it.

Certainly doesn't glorify heroin. Can't wait for it to come out but I'll be amazed if it's anywhere near as good as the first one.

Two British teams playing in Britain should be able to wear them without fear of offending anyone tbf.

As long as you're even remotely clued up it's much easier to do it that way. Mind you I did set up my mates a while ago and because he doesn't have a clue, when I went round his the other week it, it was somehow in a right state. I can see how a build might work better for someone like that.

Aye I've got that lined up to watch. Might stick it on tonight after I've watched Westworld.

More something to be commended for really.

Interesting. Was that from the Panorama on it?

Well the tax benefits seem to be only real factor of concern.

You would think the cost of becoming a scientologist would keep it from the masses enough to prevent it ever become anything major. I'd also like to think as species we have less need to follow such things. But I suspect that's wishful thinking.

Shame

Did he manage to play at all last season? I remember hearing some talk of him making a comeback but I'm not sure if it ever materialised.

Aye I'm by no means up on religion but I'd assumed Buddha was some form of deity like God or Allah. Maybe it's just that my own experience is only Christian (and even then I have no religious beliefs myself and I've never seen any evidence of any in my family) so I just assumed all other religions have something similar. The nearest Scientology has to seems to be Hubbard himself. I suppose if you believe Jesus ever really existed, you could say that LRH was no different to him (in a teaching the religion sense) and it's only the passage of time that lends him more weight.

Well as long as we're wasting batting positions on the likes of Ballance and Vince, we'd certainly be no worse off with Rashid in there.

I think that their general upturn since Colin arrived there is more of a concern than any beef between the two of them. But at the end of the day I still think that we're the only who can beat us in this league. If we are properly focused we're just so much better than all the others.

Doesn't there have to be some form of worship for deity in a religion? From what I can gather about Scientology, there's a belief that there's some aliens who brought sentient life to this planet and live on as a sort of soul through ever person born (not sure how they account for population growth) but there's no suggestion of worship of them. And your entry level Scientologist doesn't even get to find out about this anyway. You have to spend thousands getting to level whatever before LRH's fiction is disclosed to you. I loved Paul Haggis recounting his reaction to getting to the level where he was told about the aliens. You would think that a lot of people would have the same reaction and just fuck it off right there and then.

I don't think Ali is our main problem as a spinner tbf. He's not great but he does a decent job on most occasions and quite often picks up a few wickets when the opposition targets him recklessly. The bigger problem is that our next in line (Rashid) is far too inconsistent for test cricket. Cook can't set an attacking field for him because he knows he bowls far too many poor balls that go the boundary. He's fine in the shorter formats where his wicket taking makes up for it but that's not enough at test level. And then beyond him we have little to no experience or ability.

Aye if his sacking from the England job has proven anything it's that he's after the cash. But I think he'll also want to keep showing (in his mind that is) that he should be given a big job. Of course none of the big clubs would touch him now (they wouldn't have touched him before either like) but he won't allow himself to believe that.

Aye he picked up his fifth on Saturday. Shelvey is one away too I think.