I hope you can read the image, those of you participating in the competition…

When Surrey fail to get promoted, your genial scribe will reclaim the lead, and will be hoping for a Ponting Christmas injury, a cautious selection policy in South Africa, with Kallis not cashing in, and no England batsman making a double ton! As I said, I hope this works…

With 9 out of the 20 questions thus far having an answer, the leader is your humble scribe with 5 correct. I am closely pursued by three entrants on four correct – ZS, Jabba and Chris Watts.

5 correct – Dmitri Old

4 correct – ZS, Jabba, Chris Watts

3 correct – Statto, Adelaide Exile, Mandurah Exile, Sir Peter, New Dawn

2 correct – Nicholas George

1 correct – Kevin Spacey, My Recruiter Simon F

So far the 9 questions answered are.

1. West Indies to regain the Wisden Trophy – Yes (although they’ve lost it since). 1 person correct (ZS)

2. South Africa to beat Australia in Australia – No. 1 person correct (DO)

8. Harmison to be named in first Ashes team – No. 1 person correct (DO)

9. County batsman to make a 300 – Yes (Hildreth) – 9 people correct.

11. Indian to top score in World 20/20 – No (Dilshan (96*) made highest score) – 5 correct

13. Vaughan to play for England in 2009 – No (we assume he’ll stay retired) – 5 correct

14. England bowler to take international hat-trick – Yes (Flintoff did it) – 0 correct

16. Wicket-keeper to score Ashes hundred – Yes (Haddin at Cardiff) – 5 correct

20. Hayden to make an Ashes ton – No (We’ll assume he stays retired too) – 5 correct.

More updates as and when….

What to make of the England test selection?

On a purely competitive note, this selection has made a few more likely to get question 17 correct because, as it is almost certain, Onions and Bresnan make their debuts, we’ll have three debutants in the England team this year (Amjad Khan the other) and every chance that one more may get the call in the 9 tests remaining this year (I think that is how many we have…)

However, on a making sense note, I’m struggling….

The batting is probably more understandable. Matt Prior is being given the responsibility at number six which he probably deserves a lot more than Flintoff at the moment. Sure, Prior’s ton may have come on an easy paced pitch in Trinidad, but at least he’s nabbed one, which Freddie has not done in an England test line-up since Nottingham in 2005. However, throwing your least experienced batsman to the wolves at number 3 isn’t as logical – Bopara may impress everyone with his temperament, but his last knock in an England shirt was made on a shirtfront and he still looked a little susceptible to the short pitched ball. At number three he is going to be exposed should we lose an early wicket. Shouldn’t KP or Collingwood man up and go there instead while we wait for Bell or Vaughan to make a compelling case with runs, or for Bopara to build up a career at number 5 or 6? Robert Key was the answer to three until a couple of years ago, but he’s clearly cheesed enough people off not to be welcome. So who looks likely, or worthy, of a go? James Hildreth may have a triple century this season, but he copped a duck yesterday on a pitch Durham got 500 on. Jim Troughton made a big double, but he’s also been in the wilderness for an age too. I am not exactly bringing up many names here, but that’s the selectors jobs…

The selection of Tim Bresnan baffles me. England have picked this sort of player over the years and it is mystifying. You are either a test class batsman or a test class bowler. Flintoff gets into the team because of his bowling; he has tried to be selected at test level as a batsman only and England told him to clear off. At the moment you would be hard pressed to say Flintoff deserves to bat above Stuart Broad in the England team. Now we bring in Bresnan, a man who isn’t a test class batsman and unless I’m totally missing out here, is hardly up there as bowler either. He’s a decent scorer on the fantasy cricket scene where his handy mix of lower order runs and the odd 3 or 4 for pick up points. That isn’t test class. It seems England want to put Prior at six, but don’t have the faith in him to see it through so get some “bowlers who can bat” in behind him. I don’t expect this to last.

Graham Onions is a different case, because he’s been mooted for a while and had taken wickets. As if to illustrate the worthiness of his selection, he destroyed Somerset at Taunton yesterday. This chap has been injured a lot in the past season or two, but his name has always been on the radar. He now replaces his Durham colleague Steve Harmison who may have supped his last drink at the England saloon, but somehow, like the way we turned to Tufnell when we were fed up with our spinners, I fear we’ll go back to the greatest waster of a talent I’ve seen for a while when we are desperate hoping for a miracle. I’m a bit concerned that we are going in with quite a raw pace attack, but that’s how Simon Jones and Steve Harmison learned. I’m not sure of Onions’ pace but it isn’t always about this at the end of the day. With Jimmy Anderson well deserving of his slot, and Stuart Broad’s necessary development for a man who may turn out to be our leading wicket taker in tests when all is said and done, the bowling, while still a worry, is being addressed.

Graeme Swann will have to take the spinners’ slot because, quite frankly, he deserves it over Panesar at the moment. I’m not sure Swann will get the Aussies quivering but I’m afraid the pessimism I have for that series now is all pervading. England have taken mighty steps backwards and have lost the plot. There hasn’t been a development of talent as under Fletcher, rather an expectation that you have peaked when you get selected at test level. I fear for the end of this summer, and England’s cupboard behind looks bare. Good luck, Andy Flower…

So….another one of the Yes/No game questions has been answered already. I don’t have the entries to hand, so will report back in a couple of days, but James Hildreth’s 303 not out for Somerset against Warwickshire has made that answer YES. In alliance with Craig Kieswetter, Hildreth put on an unbeaten 318 partnership for the 5th wicket. The game ended in a bore draw with Warwickshire having scored over 500 in the first negotiating the remaining time with the loss of one wicket and Ian Bell adding another unbeaten 13 to his 172 in the first innings. As I write Bell has milked this Somerset attack for a ton in the Friend’s Provident game today to get off to a flier.

In the other Division 1 game Hampshire completed a win over Worcestershire with some comfort, by seven wickets on a Rose Bowl Result Pitch. The highest score in the game was Solanki’s 73, and Hampshire will always have a chance to be safe while they have the desire to provide result pitches. I’m sure people can say statistically they don’t, but it seems it to me.

Surrey’s performance in Division 2’s opener bodes ill for the season. In the enforce absence of Ramprakash, the batting looks frail. The bowling, the chronic weakness last season, has been bolstered by Andre Nel, but he’s a trier rather than a superstar and I just don’t think he can carry this attack. Gloucester made 333, had Surrey in woe and strife at 46/6, but Usman Afzaal’s 65 prevented total humiliation and the tail wagged. However 160 on the Oval surface is abominable and they had to follow on. Surrey lost two wickets in their second innings. This is going to be a very, very long season.

The two other games were drawn; No tons, Ian Hunter took 5 wickets for his career best figures, and not much else seemed to happen in the Essex v Derbyshire game. Northants drew with Leicestershire in a game that passed off as an English domestic fixture. Northants had the best of it, with Andrew Hall making 124 not out in their innings of 387. Northants’ line-up includes Hall (SA), Van der Wath (SA), Boje (SA), Rikki Wessels (Aust/SA) – four is better than normal (no Klusener?); Leicestershire included Dippenaar (SA), Ackerman (SA), Allenby (Aust) and Henderson (SA). This again, is better than last year, but still – one third of the players were not English (not sure if Wessels is qualified). Anyway, Leicester didn’t pull up any trees, were forced to follow on and worryingly, Panesar didn’t take any wickets.

Friends Provident today – Surrey, mercifully, are not in action….

Not one member of the esteemed panel of competitors believed that an England bowler would take a hat-trick in 2009. Obviously Freddie did it tonight. I missed it.

So with four questions already confirmed, no-one has a 75% record.

We are good!

We have three answers in already for the YES/NO game.

They are Questions 1, 2 and 20.

1. West Indies to regain the Wisden Trophy in this series. Well they did 1-0 having won in Jamaica and held on for dear life ever since. Only one of our number said they would regain the trophy. Well done ZS.

2. South Africa to beat Australia in South Africa. Well 2-0 down in a best of 3 seems to indicate South Africa aren’t going to do it. Only one of our number said they wouldn’t win – well done ME!

20. Matthew Hayden to score an Ashes century. I suppose technically we can’t call this one yet, but given Hayden has had the open top car tour round the Gabba and batted like Gabby Logan in the twilight of his test career, this one is called as a No. 7 of us said he wouldn’t (me, Adelaide Exile, Jim in Perth, Sir Peter, New Dawn, ZS, and 10 wicket wittle) so leaving Myself and ZS joint top on 2 points, with the remaining Hayden doubters on 1.

For those of new to this site, this game carried over from the home of Dmitri, Seven and Seven Eighths, and will now reside here. A simple competition, 20 statements – answer yes/no. I have 12 entries into this competition with bragging rights at stake…. Here are how they stack up with a little bit of analysis.

1. West Indies to regain the Wisden Trophy against England?

I have 1 yes and 11 no. The 1 yes is from the totally unexpected source of ZS. You’d never have guessed that, would you. Remember for West Indies to regain the trophy they need to win the four test series starting next month.

2. South Africa to beat Australia in the series in South Africa?

I have 11 yes and 1 no. I am the only no. I don’t believe Australia are the dead animal everyone believes they are, and if they can put out Tait, Johnson, Clark and some muppet spinner, and their batting fires, it could be a close three test series. South Africa have never won a series at home against the Aussies since readmission.

3. An England batsman to make a double century in tests in 2009?

3 say yes, 9 say no. Looking back in the last 5 years, in 2008 we didn’t score one (199 by Bell being the highest). In 2007 we did (KP against the West Indies). In 2006 Collingwood made one in Australia. In 2005, there were no double tons with Tres passing 180 three times but not getting there. 2004 saw Robert Key make one against the Windies. It is an even money shot. England play the West Indies (no double tons there in recent memory) away, at home (Key and KP in the last two home series got there) Australia and South Africa.

4. Freddie Flintoff to score a test century?

Split down the middle. Half believe his poor run since his 100 at Trent Bridge in 2005 will come to an end, half think he’s either going to get injured or is in terminal decline.

5. Surrey to be promoted from Division 2 of the County Championship?

4 believe Surrey will bounce back to where they belong, 8 believe they will remain among the dross. I am one of the latter.

6. Ricky Ponting to be Australian captain at the 2009 Boxing Day test?

Interesting. 5 out of our 12 believe Punter will be on his way. 7 think he’ll stick through the decline of Australian cricket. It will depend on retention or otherwise of the Ashes if there is any chance he’s to go. That or injury.

7. England to regain the Ashes?

5 think we will, 7 say no. We have to win the series, and that’s a tough ask with this bunch of under-achievers.

8. Steve Harmison to be playing in the first Ashes test match?

11 say yes, 1 says no. That’s me.

9. A county batsman scoring 300+ in a championship fixture?

Although no-one acheived it in this rain-soaked year, 9 people have said yes. Vikram Solanki (270) was the best last year.

10. A batsman to make a century on 20/20 Finals Day?

2 have said yes (Trevor and Chris Watts), 10 no, to something not done in the history of the competition. It will happen soon, though.

11. An Indian to make the highest individual score in the World 20/20 competition?

7 yes, 5 no. India are the world’s form horses at the moment, and yet the record is held by a West Indian in the opening game of the 2007 tournament.

12. An Englishman to make more than 130 in a ODI innings in 2009?

3 yes, 9 no. I would have thought the games against the Windies pose the best chance, but this has not been done since 2005, when Strauss got 152 against Bangladesh.

13. Michael Vaughan to make a test appearance in 2009?

5 say yes, 7 say no. Now KP is out of the way, maybe the no looks a better bet.

14. An England bowler to take a hat-trick in any form of international cricket?

Unanimity for the only question – all said no. Which is odd, because it happened in 2008 (Sidebottom), twice in 2004 and once in 2003, so there is a 33% chance on recent history.

15. Mitchell Johnson to be Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes series?

Split 50/50 here. Johnson looked a lot more impressive than Brett Lee in the recent tests, but will that translate in England.

16. A wicket-keeper to score a ton in the Ashes?

5 say yes, 7 say no. One (ZS) explicitly said Haddin would. Last time around in 06-07 there was the Gilchrist “swimming pool” ton, but in 2005 no century from a keeper.

17. England to introduce no more than three debutants in test cricket in 2009?

8 believe there will be three debutants or less this year – and as there is only the possibility of Adil Rashid making his debut on the first tour of the year, that looks a good bet. If the Ashes go bad, so will England’s injuries though….

18. England’s leading run-scorer in the Ashes series being born outside of England?

9 believe Strauss, Pietersen, Prior or Shah will be the top England man. 3 back Cook, Bell, Collingwood, Flintoff or any other taxi off the rank.

19. Jacques Kallis to score his first test 200 in 2009?

1 (Adelaide Exile) has said yes. One test down and no sign. I don’t think South Africa have Bangladesh on their radar either.

20. Matthew Hayden to make an Ashes century?

5 believe the opener will (a) not retire, (b) not be dropped and (c) will manage to stay in long enough on one occasion to score a century in England. 7 believe he is toast.