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Channel 4's policy of leaving the cricket during a day's play to cover horse racing angered viewers again yesterday when they missed a gem of an innings from Chris Cairns.

Even Mark Nicholas, the cricket anchorman, appeared to be making a point to his bosses when pictures finally returned to the Oval from Sandown and Chester after more than an hour's break as he enthused at length about a ``magical Test''.

It is noticeable, meanwhile, that the channel's 'Cricket just got better' slogan appears to have been quietly put to one side in light of England's struggles. 'England pressure' accompanied a picture of Alan Mullally in yesterday's papers - the same picture of Mullally bowling right-handed that raised eyebrows earlier this summer.

Ed Giddins' wickets yesterday were greeted with jubilation by his business partner - and not only because of their friendship.

Surrey's Nadeem Shahid, sidelined due to a forearm broken by a Devon Malcolm delivery, faces running 'Nad and Ed's Christmas Trees' on his own if Giddins earns a tour place in South Africa, but is happy to do so. ``I might recruit my brother or Ed's brother,'' said Shahid, who has stored 800 Christmas tree stands ``somewhere at the Oval''. ``But if Ed's picked I'll be delighted - it means more profits for me!''

Did the umpires bend too far backwards to ward off allegations of home favouritism during the World Cup? Anyone who saw Graham Thorpe being sawn off by England's old friend Javed Akhtar in the key match against India might have had their suspicions alerted; lbw statistics for the tournament affirmed them.

A Wisden Cricket Monthly reader has compiled a table which shows that, of the 43 wickets claimed by England, only one came via an lbw verdict - 2.3 per cent. This was comfortably the smallest such ratio: Sri Lanka, who had of the next worse, had 9.4 per cent; India led the way with 23.8 per cent, 10 out of 42.

The other side of the coin was just as disconcerting. England, who lost fewer wickets - 26 - than any other side, fell prey to six leg-before rulings - 23.1 per cent. Only Bangladesh were unluckier in that respect.

The Indian version of Cosmopolitan came up with a cricket XI with a difference - the sexiest men in the sport. Only one 'Englishman', Adam Hollioake, was selected - ``He has women swooning simply by staring back unblinkingly at them through his slit eyes.''

Other entrants include Chris Cairns and Nathan Astle from New Zealand and Pakistan captain Wasim Akram. The most intriguing selection, however, is that of South Africa's Jacques Kallis, chosen because ``he has the most expressive eyes, the best looking bum and sexiest nipples . . . ``