Even when they've been on the field in this match, England have remained mentally out to lunch

Forget the bomb, the perceived threat to security and the kith and kin concerned for their husbands, fathers and brothers

Are you a traditionalist or a moderniser?, asks Mike Atherton in The Sunday Telegraph

Pakistan have to bat last and could yet be beaten themselves, but their resilience and skill, aided by badly mistaken England tactics , have set up an intriguing last two days, writes Christopher Martin-Jenkins in The Times .

In selecting Chris Read ahead of Geraint Jones for tomorrow's third Test against Pakistan, England have given him his third, and probably final, chance to prove that he can become an international cricketer, writes Angus Fraser in The Independent

The tactic to practise batting against short-pitched bowling on a slab of marble is still a sound one and we shall continue to do so, writes Bob Woolmer in The Times .

With the Headingley Test starting on Friday, Rick Broadbent recalls the heroic events of 25 years ago in The Times .

Despite criticism of the selection process by former coach John Wright in his recently released book Indian Summers, the National cricket selector from South Zone, VB Chandrasekhar, believes the five-man selection panel is a time-tested method that

England’s quick-time win at Old Trafford has reignited interest in the game among the general public – well, those who pay to receive Sky TV – and also pushed cricket onto many back pages ahead of football for the first time in 2006.

"For the first time since Sydney, nearly four years ago, England are coping well in a Test match without Andrew Flintoff

"I love maiden overs in the same way that civil servants do forms or VAT inspectors a pile of receipts," says Mike Selvey

Once upon a time, Shahid Mahmood might have cursed a scoreboard that showed Pakistan all out for 119, writes Richard Hobson in The Times

Frist, the good news

"The most remarkable bowling feat in the history of Test cricket, Jim Laker’s 19 for 90 against the might of Australia at Old Trafford in 1956, could have happened 100 years ago, not 50, for all the available pictorial evidence there is of it,"

Derek Pringle explores the history of customized boots for fast bowlers as Andrew Flintoff heads to Germany where Adidas are fashioning a protective boot for him.

Read David Llewellyn's email conversation with Steve Waugh on topics as diverse as which four people in history Waugh would want to invite to a dinner party, whether Australia had it coming in the 2005 Ashes series, what his predictions are for

Ray Illingworth recalls the day Mike Atherton was accused of ball-tampering .

As the end of his amazing career approaches, John Buchanan shares some of the highlights with Phil Wilkins in The Sydney Morning Herald .