Steve May

No point being furious if something goes wrong on your recce run. That’s why you do a recce run - because it doesn’t matter when it goes wrong. Sounds to me like your preparations have done their job. Good luck on Thursday.

One of my old friends is in that second video with her violin.

I know what you mean. Years ago I stumbled across Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata. I listened to almost nothing else for about a month.

Gilbert and Sullivan. Could be worse.

I’m the same. I can even remember some of the reg plates of cars my Dad drove. BVH232S really stands out for some reason But not the cars I own now! No idea of their reg plates.

I while back I heard this song that I found oddly moving for reasons I couldn’t put my finger on. It was had a bit of an early 90s feel with a voiceover about a girl listening to very loud house music. I heard it a few times and never found out what it was. But it’s been bouncing round my head ever since. This morning Mary Anne Hobbs played it and I grabbed the title. It’s Beulah Loves Dancing by Planningtorock.

Can’t beat the sound of a Merlin.

A Renault Clio. I had it for years. It was basically indestructible. I took a whole bunch of garden clippings to the tip in it once, and forever after it was infested with spiders.

When REM played at the McAlpine (as was) in Huddersfield in 1995 they were due to be supported by Oasis, but by the time the date came round Oasis weren’t going to support anyone! We got The Beautiful South instead. They were great. Did a brilliant cover of Some Might Say. REM didn’t have a clue where they were and did a professional but somewhat unenthusiastic job. I finally saw Oasis years later at Heaton Park. The sound system failed, so they played a shortened set and Noel Gallagher announced we would all get our money back. A few weeks later an incredibly ornate, specially printed cheque arrived, complete with Noel’s signature. Had it been 1996 I’d have framed it, put it on my wall and left the money in his pocket. But it wasn’t 1996, so I cashed it and got my money back.

I once fell asleep while stood up during a very loud 25 minute drum solo at a Led Zeppelin tribute band gig in Vancouver. In my defence, I was very jet lagged, heroically drunk, and it was an extremely dull gig.

Like a number of bands, they went rapidly downhill after someone told them they were serious musicians Pablo Honey is quite fun. The Bends is superb. OK Computer is interesting but teetering on the cusp. Nothing after that is worth the effort. Just my opinion, of course.

Too many notes.

BBC 6 Music seems to have signed some kind of contract whereby they are contractually obliged to play Kate Tempest once every hour. To be fair, her words are quite clever. But her voice....dear God, it makes me want to tear holes my eardrums with my mum’s old knitting needles. I switch the radio off now and wait five minutes before switching it back on.

No coffee, that’s easy! I’m a tea man. And by tea, I mean tea. Made of tea. With milk and sugar. Not a thin soup of twigs and mysterious spices.

I am that man. And yes, you are the villain. In my - definitive - opinion, coffee is vile and should not be consumed by humans except in the form of a double espresso laced with sugar the morning after a very heavy night. People who ask for a double mocha chocca frappu-latte with soya milk on rye.....aaaargh!

I saw that light once in my 1-series. It flickered intermittently for a few seconds, then switched off. I didn’t pay it much attention as I was on my mobile at the time.

I recently heard a song by someone called Billie Eilish and I’d never heard of her but I thought it was terrific. Great video too. Apparently she’s incredibly famous and has been for some time. It all passed me by. Sorry kids.

Underworld. Beaucoup Fish. Very loudly

I was once on a business trip to Adelaide. A long way from home, knowing no one but clients for a thousand miles. Feeling a bit sorry for myself. So I watched a bit of telly to cheer myself up. It was Last of Summer Wine. I thought, well at least this will fend off my homesickness a bit. So I was delighted to see Compo in some sort of go-kart contraption rolling down the street outside my very own house!

Yes. But historically big run chases happen on the fifth day, when the wicket is crumbling like a Brexiters promise and the time is running out. It’s only the third day.

Ain’t that the truth. Root should fine the buggers fifty quid for every boundary in this innings. Target should be every batsman hits a single in every over.

It’s a big fourth inning target, but actually this is winnable. It’s only lunch on the third day. The weather forecast is good, there’s 240 overs remaining in this match and England need 348 more to win. If they don’t spunk their wickets away, that’s actually achievable. 1.5 risk free runs an over sees them home

Good question. I think Root has only played twice this year for Yorkshire in FC cricket. Jonny Bairstow hasn’t played any FC cricket outside Tests for over a year Which not only suggests that it’s not surprising England’s players might sometimes go into a Test series “underdone” but also makes you wonder what Yorkshire pay these guys for.

On TMS earlier today Michael Vaughan pointed out that there were back to back Ashes series in 2013/14 in order to avoid having the Ashes in a World Cup year. Sometimes I suspect cricket administrators look up to rugby league administrators as paragons of competence.

There is a global problem in Test cricket, which is an unusually strong problem in England. White ball cricket is the priority. In England this is an openly stated strategy, to the extent that First Class cricket is shunted out of the way like an embarrassing elderly relative in favour of the ECBs daft ideas. You can’t expect batsman to focus on white ball cricket and then suddenly be able to bat for hours in a Test match. England’s (and to a lesser extent Australia’s) batting fragility is not down to individual failures by the players. It’s systemic and it’s there by design.