James Taylor
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"It always used to be that short leg was either the smallest, or the youngest fielder. Now, they choose the best fielder."

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

Image source, Rex Features

"Had James Taylor played for England earlier, I would have had 20 more wickets from catches at short leg. I had Alastair Cook, who stood there for a long time, and wasn't a natural there. At Northampton, we had some exceptional close fielders - Richard Montgomerie was the best short leg I've ever seen, they turned half chances into catches."

Michael Godfrey, Wasington, via email: It’s a shame that the weather has interfered with this ODI and the last Test match. It’s not surprising though as the weather is always grim down south. It’s another gloriously sunny day at Chester-le Street [where the Test match against Sri Lanka was not lost to the weather]. Keep up the good work. We are listening while having a BBQ under the brilliant sunshine.

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"Allan Lamb - as my brother always chose to be Botham in the back garden, I wanted to be Lamb. And he was a Northants player too. Now, it's AB de Villiers - he turns bowlers into hapless bowling machines. And Virat Kohli isn't a very nice fella on the field, but he's beautiful to watch."

James Taylor
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"Growing up with my small stature, it was one of the greats of the game - Sachin Tendulkar. He was a similar height, and recognised as a hero. The other one who I wanted to play in the same team as was Kevin Pietersen. They say never meet your heroes!"

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"Moeen Ali can bat at seven, so our keeper could bat at eight - we could get away with someone who's fantastic behind the sticks and averages 25-28. If only James Foster or Chris Read had been younger... you'll need a high-class keeper behind the stumps in India and Bangladesh this winter."  

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"I talked to Alec Stewart who had this problem throughout his career. He said in an ideal world he'd have been an opening batsman who didn't keep wicket."

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"Jonny Bairstow's not keeping in this series, he's in the outfield, but in a week or two he's behind the stumps at Lord's keeping to Anderson and Broad. That concerns me that he's not doing the day-to-day work."

Ed Smith
Ex-England batsman on BBC Test Match Special

"Is there a danger that if Buttler stays out of the Test team for too long, he just falls into the rhythm of white-ball cricket?"

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"The Sri Lanka series was a missed opportunity for having a look at someone like Scott Borthwick. Look at James Vince, he's just carrying the drinks at the moment - he'll have to play a four-day game next week to find a bit of form. But I'd stick with him. Jos Buttler will definitely be in the conversation, but I'd stick with Bairstow as keeper. No-one can guarantee that he's that better a keeper than Bairstow at the moment. He's not a Jack Russell or a James Foster."

Vic Marks: "They must think he's a slightly better keeper as he's keeping in this game. And Buttler is outstanding in the field."

This is because England need to face 20 overs to constitute a match. Starting at 18:11 BST would allow them to face 16 more overs by the official close at 19:15 BST.

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"England could be saved an agonising decision if Jimmy Anderson isn't going to be fit for the first Test. They'll want to play Chris Woakes, the way he's been playing, and Ben Stokes could be back. Finn, at his best, is better than Woakes at his best."

Michael Vaughan: "A stress fracture doesn't sound good. But if Jimmy's not fit, fine. If he is fit, it's a straight decision between Woakes and Steven Finn."

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"You've got to have promotion and relegation if you have two divisions. In rugby, the rich sides used to try to prevent it - and then came along Exeter Chiefs to show them the folly of it."

Rain delaypublished at 16:25 British Summer Time 26 June 2016

16:25 BST 26 June 2016

Image source, Rex Features

We've been off for rain since just before 16:00 BST, with England 16-1 after four overs in reply to Sri Lanka's 248-9. The square is fully covered now.

The rain has been light but persistent, and we are now officially losing overs. So it'll be a Duckworth-Lewis scenario - but first of all, England need to face 20 overs for it to constitute a match.

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"I'd like to get rid of the bidding process in England - the ECB could lease grounds for Tests so they wouldn't be under threat because of money."

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"For whatever reason, they fill Test grounds in England more than they do anywhere else. Attendances are no worse, if not better than they were 25 years ago. And they're giving one-day cricket a proper emphasis. I used to be thought of as a one-day specialist which was a bit demeaning in those days. But now England are giving [the formats] the same emphasis with different players."

Michael Vaughan
Ex-England captain on BBC Test Match Special

"Transforming Test cricket will be difficult. T20 brings a new audience of people who might not normally watch cricket. I like the idea of day-night Test cricket and I'd advise them to play it in places like the UAE where the climate suits and we'd have seen more people in, and India. I know it worked in Australia, and I think it would work in the West Indies."

Vic Marks
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

"The majority of the international teams we watch struggle [to attract crowds] in Test cricket. There's no problem in England but when I played in India, it was jam-packed, now it isn't. The one exception, where Test cricket has advanced in the last few years, is New Zealand, as they've worked out to play Test cricket in smaller arenas out in the country like Dunedin.

"I've not worked out whether I'd prefer 7-5, 5-7 or 6-6 in two divisions. If the cut were made now, we'd have no West Indies or Bangladesh."