Late baby, late

I like to think of Duncan Fletcher siting in front of the cricket on the sofa at home, still in his England top, sunhat and shades. Periodically, Mrs Fletch will find that he has silently arrived at her shoulder, where he'll whisper in her ear something like, 'KP's head has fallen outside the line again'...

He remains a supreme technical analyst, which is why his Guardian columns are always good value. Yesterday's was about playing swing bowling. He points out the error of Shane Watson's ways before advocating again his trademark forward press to counter late-ducking swing at pace.

That still requires two movements of the batsman, and even Fletch admits it's a hard thing to get right. To me it's just a new take on the old maxim, 'see it early, play it late'. The very greatest batsmen, Tendulkar for example, just stand still while they pick up the line. It's easier then to play later, because there's less going on.

Eion Morgan played beautifully late yesterday. People wonder how he seems to score so quickly without battering the ball. The answer is that he gets full value for his shots because he so rarely hits it at the fielder. Like Lara he strokes it where they're not, waiting for the ball and using subtle angles of the bat. Fletch approved, I'm sure...