To follow-on or not to follow-on?

Almost 3 years has past since I began my blog from my gorgeous cottage in Wiltshire. Now 

I relight the inner-blogger, but this time from sunny Somerset.

The 2nd test against New Zealand finished earlier today and there were the usual talking points; England's choice to not enforce the follow-on and the timing of their declaration. For me, England should have enforced the follow-on, sending a clear, cut-throat message to the Australians that were no doubt watching with interest. NZ had been dismissed cheaply again after their disaster at Lords and would no doubt have folded.

As for their declaration - why bat for so long? NZ were never going to score 350 let alone 450, we were lucky that the great British weather let up for a couple of hours so that Swann et al could knock over the last 4 wickets. Cook needs to be more decisive in my opinion, not that I can knock him since he took over as skipper. Time to lose the old English mentality of Hussain and Atherton etc.