'An intense atmosphere is fun to play in'

I said in my previous column that you bat first on 99% of pitches if you win the toss these days but Trent Bridge was definitely that other 1% occasion!

There had been so much rain the days previous to the Test that the ground was practically underwater. Trent Bridge just doesn't have the drainage that Lord's does and they virtually had to work all night and it was still touch and go. With that amount of moisture on the wicket, the ball's not only highly conducive to swing but also amazing movement off the seam which is something that's very hard for a batsman to play for. If you watched the highlights, you'll have noticed how much the colour of the pitch changed during the match.

Give credit to India

Despite the difficult batting conditions, I managed 43 in the first innings before getting another touch-and-go decision. I had a few against the West Indies and in the first Test and that's just cricket! I've no complaints about the one in the second innings and if I'd have got a bat on either, I'd have been fine anyway! It's something I have to iron out in my technique and I'll be working in the nets with Andy Flower before the Oval Test. Although it was certainly a great toss to win, you have to give an enormous amount of credit to India for the way they bowled. Zaheer bowled beautifully and they all worked very hard. It made Vaughney's second innings century that much better and it was a brilliantly crafted hundred.

I've got nothing against sledging

Obviously, a lot has been made of the gamesmanship between the two sides but I don't think either team over-stepped the mark. Of course, only Sreesanth knows if he meant either the full toss or the no ball and I hope it was accidental because it has no place in the game of cricket in my opinion. As for the jelly bean saga, I think it's been blown completely out of proportion and it would be a shame if it overshadowed what was a good game of cricket. I've got nothing against sledging and good, competitive, aggressive cricket is what the crowds love to see and it creates an intense atmosphere which is fun to play. You see that with the Australians. It's just good, tough, competitive cricket and it certainly does them no harm!

Next up, it's the Oval which is usually a fast, bouncy wicket which should suit our bowlers and batsmen. It's up to us now to perform as a unit as we have done for most of the summer and keep Vaughney's incredible record of not losing a home series intact. He deserves it.

Alastair Cook.

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2nd August, 2007