Oval Test, Day 2, Tea
Friday, August 24, 2001

Well, the carnage has continued. England still aren't bowling well - Steve and Mark Waugh had too much to hit, and they hit it pretty firmly.

The wicket still looks fantastic - it hasn't gone off as much as I thought it would on the first day. I think the sun beating down on it has deadened it. So that means that if England bat properly they should be able to save the game. There's no reason why they shouldn't, given their improved performance at Headingley, but the follow-on target is going to be a daunting one and it will be hard work. The batsmen will have to apply themselves better than the bowlers, that's for sure.

I wasn't surprised that Steve Waugh reached a century. It had looked on the cards since he first came in. He's been struggling with his leg injury in the later part of his knock, so I suppose it was appropriate that he reached his hundred while he was lying on the ground. Some batsmen are more dangerous when they are limping. I remember Gordon Greenidge giving us a lot of grief sometimes when he hardly seemed able to hobble to the other end.

England's bowling hasn't been great. I don't mind giving irregular bowlers a go - it can confuse the batsmen sometimes - so I wasn't surprised when Usman Afzaal came on and took a wicket straight away. Now the proper bowlers have got to come back and do their job, or Australia are going to get a really huge score.

Ian Healy was talking to Steven Lynch

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