One Swallow Doesn't Make A Summer ... True ... But ...

As much as there is truth in the saying which requires many more swallows to be present before summer is declared, the First Test between England and Pakistan already has ominous overtones for the Australian cricketers as they rest/prepare for a short trip to India. The form and fitness of one Sachin Tendulkar would be also be high on the "bugger" list this morning too.

Pakistan were much the same as they had been against Australia when the Trent Bridge Test began overnight. Aamer and Aisf had England under pressure. Cook looked uncertain during his half hour stay, whilst Strauss was composing a melody of fours, mostly off Asif. Cook was picked up at first slip by Farhat and Trott came in to applause that was as nervous as he was. Soon after, Kamran Akmal continued his channeling act, tuning in nicely to Rod Marsh's early days and sending an edge from Strauss to the turf in a dreadful miss, even in your local 3rd Grade competition. Trott became more confident and the pair would have taken England to lunch but Strauss was unlucky on two counts. Firstly, having waited for a bad ball to cut, he top edged the first that came along and secondly, Akmal caught it.

After lunch, Peitersen survived two referrals before playing across the line once two often and sending an inside edge from Asif onto his middle stump. Trott, having improved the longer he batted, did the terribly trendy thing and padded up to a ball which bent back at him from Aamer, only to be given out by both sets of umpires.

Morgan then played his best Test innings. For the rest of the day, with Collingwood in solid support, he systematically and carefully attacked Pakistan, raising his hundred with a six back over the bowlers head. He walked off Trent Bridge with a touring ticket to Australia in his back pocket.

Pakistan had their chances, despite the quality of the English middle order pair as the afternoon wore on. Collingwood was miles from home after charging down the pitch to the Apple Dannish but Akmal again failed to glove the ball. My blind grandmother could have lifted the bails on and she's been dead for twenty years!

Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, Tendulkar raised his 5th Test double century, batting on a road in Colombo where 1300 runs have cost only 13 wickets. The daunting thing about his innings isn't the runs but the fitness of the little champion. At the age of 37, after five hours of batting, he stilled sprinted three 2's of successive deliveries with all the speed and agility his 17 year old shadow did twenty years ago. There are now 1700+ career runs between he and Ponting but does anyone believe Ponting will outscore him when they go head to head in India in October? Call me silly but I don't think Ponting will last long enough to pass him. The way it stands today, Ponting needs to play three more five Tests series after Tendulkar retires and average 50 in each to get within a few hundred of him. The Ponting of 2010 can't do it and really, with no disrespect to the batsman Ponting has been, I don't want him to. Tendulkar should always be the number one ... yes, better than Bradman.