England's chance

From Simon Barnes of The Times:

The England cricket team are in the position of a person who charges back into a burning house to rescue the baby and comes out with the cat. It’s a nice cat, and you are fond of it, but it’s not exactly what you went in for. Still, there’s not much you can do except stroke it.

No England cricketer will leave Australia with pride. But at least this fabulous run of two victories in as many matches gives them back the feeling that they are real sportsmen, the knowledge that good things can happen as well as bad.

England has one last chance to salvage something from a horror of an Australian tour. They've won just three games during the entire summer, but they may well be striking form at just the right time. Unfortunately, they will have to do it without the calm leadership of Michael Vaughan, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.