Cricket

[Chazza]

239-8

Should be home now.

[Shaggy]

About time. Stokes is boss - wonderful send off he gave Faulkner

"**** off you ****"

[Shaggy]

Stokes under an absolute dolly for the victory.........DROPPED!!!!!

[ChesterDave]

Deliberate. Wants his 5!

[Shaggy]

We've won!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alex]

**** me

Better than Australia

Only as good as your last game

[RichC]

OMG!!

We've won a match against the Australian's 2nd string side

[Chazza]

The relief on Cooks face at the end.

[RichC]

England conspiring to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory yet again

[Bender]

Exciting finish to this odi..England need 6 off 3 balls

[Bender]

Congratulations to England

[Chazza]

The Bopara wicket was really unlucky and I'm not sure the 3rd Ump could have been 100% certain he was not back in the crease.

[RichC]

The Bopara wicket was nuts, not sure how it was given really but hey ho.

[Shaggy]

Third umpire clearly took a wild guess. Probably cost England the game but another collapse didn't help. Joke decision though.

[Shaggy]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/26/graeme-swann-england-kevin-pietersen?CMP=twt_gu

Graeme Swann: England should not ditch Kevin Pietersen

• Graeme Swann defends Kevin Pietersen after troubled tour
• Off-spinner admits he had become 'a liability' for England

Tom Davies

theguardian.com, Sunday 26 January 2014 13.10 GMT

Graeme Swann has spoken out about the circumstances surrounding his retirement, saying he had become "a liability", while urging England to keep Kevin Pietersen in the team.

The off-spinner, who quit all international cricket after England's defeat in the third Ashes Test at Perth last month, wrote in the Sun on Sunday, Swann said: "It is about time I set the record straight on myself, Alastair Cook, Andy Flower and Kevin Pietersen."

The England batsman endured a difficult Ashes series, which prompted more speculation about his future but Swann insisted his former team-mate should still have a role. "England's short-term future should include Pietersen. People seem keen to create a rift between Kevin and the rest of the team," he said.

"Among the more ludicrous stories was one claiming he did not go to the team's Christmas lunch. I know he did – because I sat next to him. Since being reintegrated in 2012, his attitude has been great. He was England's top run scorer in the Ashes and is one of the world's best players, so why get rid of him?"

Swann also sprung to the defence of the beleaguered Cook and Flower, maintaining they were " the right men to be captain and head coach", and that the players should bear responsibility for England's 5-0 Ashes whitewash. But although he insisted there were "no cliques" in a dressing room that was "very together", he also returned to comments made at his retirement press conference about some members of the squad.

"I made some comments about certain players being 'up their own backsides' – but I wasn't having a go at Kevin or any other England player. I won't name names but if people don't know who I was talking about, they are not watching the game with their eyes open."

Of his retirement decision, Swann said: "I decided to end my career with immediate effect after our defeat in the third Test meant the Ashes had gone. The reason was simple – I was a spent force.

"There were accusations I deserted a sinking ship but it was clear I was a liability and not able to contribute in any way towards winning … For me to carry on would have been the most ridiculous and selfish decision on the planet."

If he *really* wasn't talking about KP/an England player - he must've been on about that cunt Warner?