Reminds me of the old Billy Connolly gag, entering Aus he was asked by immigration if he had a criminal record. He replied 'didn't know I still needed one'.
I listen to the Test match podcast on BBC five live and Mark Butcher said that the banter starts when you get off the plane. He said the England team when he played were always stopped by the customs and had their bags opened. They would take out a bat, and say what do you use this for? If there was soil on the shoes, they would be told to remove it as they didn't want pommy dirt in the country.
one of those tv progs about custom control at airports that my mother finds so interesting recently included a segment where one of the teams (might have been india, might not) from the subcontinent had gone to australia and one of the players had soil on his pads and boots and they wouldn't let him in until he'd thoroughly cleaned his gear, and even then they fined him. it may have been that the team management hadn't stressed the need to do it and ended up paying the fine.
Milan goes for 140, brilliant catch in the deep, needed something special to get him out. Bairstow 106 NO at the moment, Moeen joins him at the crease.
The collapse was disappointing (if not unexpected) but after the first 4 wickets I'd have taken 403! I personally couldn't see us getting 400 yesterday. We'll still lose mind.
So far gruelling day in the field for England, just the one wicket of S. March, but Smith has gone on to pass 150. Aussies 314-4 at Lunch.
