Didn't take long in the end , did it ?
Not too surprised : we have seen teams before battle gamely for a long time in this almost hopeless situation of trailing by a huge margin on first innings - only to fold up quickly once the key batsmen are out. Really was some outstanding bowling from Robinson and Anderson with the new ball this morning and no surprise the batsmen struggled... and once the top five had gone the rest had no hope and played accordingly.
Ironic in that today was bright sunshine and fine for batting compared with yesterday's overcast skies and floodlight assisted somewhat dim light conditions - but they survived the one and succumbed in the other...
In truth it goes to show that if you get bowled out for 78 on day one you are likely headed for a heavy defeat : just a matter of when.
I don't believe in momentum - at least , not from match to match (can be a factor
within a single match) so not reading too much into this for The Oval. New game ; blank slate.
But I am looking forward to it as this series has been a jolly good contest so far , with plenty of ebb and flow. More of the same please