It is almost too hot for cricket at The Oval today. Especially if you're not Australian, and don't fancy seeing the ground-record score of 903 for 7 toppled just yet. As England's Waugh-ravaged bowlers perspired away, sun-sated punters started seeking alternative entertainment.

Behind the pavilion, the tiny Oval shop was in danger of becoming a sweatshop. Hand-held fans were proving popular, as were Surrey Lions T-shirts. But there was no sign of movement on the rail holding the Surrey Cubs romper-suits, for cricket-loving under-fives. Maybe the bilious green colour had something to do with it.

As the thermometer nudged 80, drink was proving more popular than food. The bar under the Bedser Stand sported four patient queues for beer, but only one bloke was lining up to line his stomach. Mind you, the crusty £2.50-a-slice magherita (sic) pizza he was eyeing looked as if it had seen better days.

Meanwhile, up in the air-conditioned higher reaches of the Lock Stand, the corporate guests had already abandoned Nasser's boys for the delights of lunch, even though the interval was still half an hour away. Potted game terrine sounded good, as did Thai-style baked supreme of salmon. But one or two of the corporates were unsure about the shiitake mushrooms.

In the press-box, the usual grumbles about the noise from the bar were drowned out by the roar of several industrial fans, shipped in this morning to cool journalistic brows after uncomfortable temperatures yesterday. And there was another innovation: in one corner pressmen were queuing up patiently, as if at the barber's, to sit for a caricaturist.

Glynn Edwards has captured around 150 media types already, and is moving on to the teams. The match sponsors, npower, are thought to be interested in collecting them together in a book. My portrait temporarily adorns the back wall of the Oval media centre. Anyone who wants to frighten the kids knows where to come.

Steven Lynch is database director of Wisden.com and author of the Ask Steven column.

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