Knock-out Lee

Lord's. Fourth one-day international

Preview

So the team bosses have given Paul Collingwood and James Anderson a couple of days off. Not before time but not for long enough. If the pair had been told to go home until the end of the season, never even think about cricket, it would have been a much bigger, better gesture. Colly once told me off for suggesting rain would cancel a match and give them all a rest. By the haggard look on his face I would not get the same reply today; Anderson looks as if a year in solitary confinement would do him the world of good. They deserve more consideration but then cricketers don't think the way the rest of us do.

By the way, the story on the street is that Kevin Pietersen may not be fit for the tour of South Africa. Such rumours are not always true but it will be serious if he is missing. I just hope the selectors don't send him hoping he will get fit. He is far too valuable for that sort of thinking. (See first paragraph for a clue about selection tactics.)

England innings

Instead of Four Weddings and a Funeral we had Four Yorkers and a Slip Catch - all engineered by Brett Lee at his grinning, heel-clicking, finger-wagging best. He even threw in a wicket-maiden when he began England's descent from 96-1 to 220 all out with 21 balls unused. The slip catch removed Joe Denly but Matt Prior, Luke Wright, Stuart Broad and Adil Rashid all fell to 90-miles-an-hour yorkers after Nathan Hauritz had bowled ten overs for 23 runs. The first blow was struck by the Ricky Ponting who gave Lee the last over with the scruffy ball - 33 overs old - to get rid of Prior. England were, in the main, dreadful again. I almost forgot to mention Andrew Strauss won the toss and made yet another fifty. How long before he needs a bit of time off?

Australian innings

I had hoped that the kindly Australians might be merciful and finish the match in 35 overs or so but they needed almost 44 before Michael Clarke and Callum Ferguson scampered the single that brought victory - and the series, of course - by seven wickets. England never came close to victory, not once. Ponting led the way but to be truthful his side did not need heroics; England's bowling was only a fraction more impressive than their frightened, fearful, feckless batting. They go to the Champions Trophy, four days after this tournament ends in the cool of Durham, without a prayer.