This is the Friends of History Debating Society.

I'm John Batchel with my colleague and guide on cricket matters, Jeremy Zakis.

When last we spoke with Mr. Zakis, the Australian team, which was champions last summer,

and is looking forward to the Ashes rematch coming in December, soon enough,

had done very poorly against a Pakistan team, very poorly.

We were told that the major players of the team, including the captain,

were taking a break, preparing for, I guess, ashes.

And now a week later, in town, is the India team, the one that was defeated, or at least some of it,

last summer in India in the championship playoff.

And it's now day two of a five-day test, I believe.

Jeremy, it's not going well.

Can we explain this? I don't know how to explain this, John, except to say it's not going well. Can we explain this?

I don't know how to explain this, John, except to say it really is going devastatingly.

As we speak, we are now on day two, as you rightly said, and I have to report that right now,

Australia is losing by 218 runs.

So 218 runs. India now has 218 ahead of us to put it in perspective.

On day two of any five-day test, you'd expect a fairly decently matched set of teams to be

maybe 100 runs apart, but not 218. And I can tell you, John, there's really no rhyme or reason

for it, except to say that

the Australian side right now just cannot get it together. They just can't seem to

catch a break. They can't hit the Indian balls. They can't seem to bowl the Indian flyers out.

And I don't want to take anything away from the Indian team, to be honest. And I know I'm an

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