There's No Avoiding the Pietersen Factor

The challenge is to get to the bottom without mentioning you know who. He's had plenty of exposure over the last week or so. Perhaps we should focus on someone else for a change. It may not be easy, but it's a team game after all ...

That Ian Bell must be disappointed to get out in the 20s again. He looks so comfortable, so capable. Then he gets out. Alastair Cook clearly was disappointed after his tentative waft outside the off-stump. He never looks as comfortable as Bell. He has to graft. Which he did yesterday. Then he got out. Paul Collingwood's playing better, isn't he? They bowled a bit short to him. Tim Ambrose will have to go.

It was cloudy for most of the day though the ball didn't swing much. I see that England have acquired another overseas coach, Dene Hills from Tasmania. He will be working at the Academy with our batsmen. We don't seem to employ too many Englishmen.

More wickets for Mendis the mystery man in Colombo. I note that England have taken the precaution of sending the Sri Lankans to Chester le Street for a Test match early next May (though we still don't know whether they are really coming). We'll see how the mystery man flicks the ball out at six degrees centigrade. No wonder the Sri Lankans prefer the IPL.

Paul Harris, 6ft 5inches tall, must have felt no more than 5ft 6 inches when he was unceremoniously moved from the leg-side boundary at the Oval after someone or other had skied the ball in his direction. Harris soon decided it was someone else's catch. So he left it for a sprawling Makhaya Ntini. Ntini had to sprint 30 yards to his left – and never quite got there. Harris was only 10 yards away but didn't offer. Graeme Smith was disappointed because he was eager for another wicket: Collingwood would do but he would have preferred the other one. Harris was immediately summoned to mid on to be replaced on the boundary by Neil McKenzie, who can run faster.

The ball kept following Ntini – rather like it used to do with Devon Malcolm, who was at the Oval yesterday. I got the impression that Andre Nel was also a tad disappointed when a top edged hook from one of England's batsmen (not Collingwood) just eluded Ntini's grasp at mid on. This time Harris was not in the vicinity. Odd that Smith did not bowl his left arm spinner earlier. When he did come on no one on 94 tried to hit him for six.

I see Hampshire won. It was Angus Fraser's birthday. He was 43.

Oh dear. We can't go on like this. Let's face it. He is still mesmerizing us, dominating every minute of the Test match. His innings was brilliant, charismatic yet controlled, perfectly paced in the context of the match. You might describe it as a captain's innings. It was always going to be his day – with those top edges escaping Ntini's fingers. It will probably be his match. Seems like he can tinker with fate. When he reached his century he beamed with delight, but not surprise. Who? You know who.