What a difference a day makes. Late on day 3, Australia had a chance to enforce the follow-on and thoroughly humiliate a demoralized England. By tea on day 4 Ponting was off the field with a bad back and the English batsmen, Pietersen and Collingwood, were looking remarkably comfortable. KP in particular has taken the attack to the Australians, smashing Warne all over the place and walking calmly down the pitch to try to put McGrath off his length. The Australian commentators were seriously impressed. That’s how they like to see the game played. (I shudder to think what Boycott was saying on the Sky commentary. Probably something like, “Oooh, ‘ee shudn’t be playin’ like thaat. ‘Ee mite get aaht. Jus’ leave th’ ball, lad.”)

Of course there is another game to play, and God is slowly whittling away at the England batting order. He got Collingwood and Flintoff late in the day. He only needs to add Jones the Gloves to his list of victims and he’ll have the England tail at his mercy. There’s also a new ball due first thing in the morning, which will help McGrath. But there is rain forecast. Actually the forecast says “storms”, which in Queensland means dumping an entire day’s worth of rain in half an hour. It may not last long, but the outfield will be swimming afterwards. England now have a real chance of stealing a draw. If Australia had enforced the follow-on the game would probably be over by now.