Zimbabwe steady after early Mawoyo exit

    Tendulkar and the pull of love

Ed Smith: Why does he keep playing? It has to do with belonging, and an abiding love of the craft, the discipline, and of mastery

    KP: anatomy of a maverick

Aakash Chopra: How Kevin Pietersen's unique batting style makes him one of the most difficult batsmen to bowl to

    A modern-day Benaud?

Ashley Mallett: Steven Smith has the talent to become a Test-standard bowling allrounder, the best of his type since Richie Benaud

    Best birthdays, and Finch's flail

Ask Steven: Also, highest T20 score in a losing cause, most overs by a quickie in a Test, and double on debut by a woman

The Bradman standard

Kartikeya Date: The Don is head and shoulders above the rest, but which batsmen come closest?

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Early school dismissals

• Aquinas Catholic Academy in Kankakee will dismiss at 12:15 p.m. every day this week.

• Bradley Elementary School District will dismiss early every day this week: Bradley Central 1:30 p.m.; Bradley East, 2 p.m.; and Bradley West, 2:20 p.m.

• Donovan schools will dismiss early every day this week: Donovan Elementary School 2:15 p.m.; Donovan High School 2:30 p.m.

• Pembroke schools will dismiss at 2 p.m. every day this week.

• Watseka schools will dismiss early every day this week: Watseka Elementary School 2 p.m.; Glenn Raymond School 2:15 p.m., Watseka Community High School 2:10 p.m.

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Dimitrios Kalantzis: Early school dismissals ... and the livin' is easy

Dimitrios Kalantzis: Early school dismissals ... and the livin' is easy

The Daily Journal finally got me. Never mind that for the nearly four years I've been here I've been privy to the April Fool's joke before it hit the paper. But this time they finally got me.

On Monday, we ran a story about local school districts dismissing students early because of excessive heat.

I didn't even know there was excessive heat this week.

And April is eight months off.

Still, half-a-dozen schools are giving students a reprieve from temperatures soaring into the 90s. Do you know what classrooms, not air conditioned, feel like when it's 90 degrees? They feel like it's 90 degrees.

Like many of you, I read the comments some readers of daily-journal.com left on the story with a little bit more interest than usual.

"It's not that hot. Suck it up. Test scores suck," one regular posted. "Kids need all the school they can get!

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High temps, humidity forcing schools to dismiss early

Hot, humid weather will be creating sticky situations in many area classrooms, and some school districts that have no air cooling systems will be dismissing students early this week.

The Bradley Elementary School District will be dismissing students one hour earlier than normal this week, Superintendent Scott Goselin announced on the district's website. In Momence and Peotone, students will be released early at least for today and Tuesday.

Students at Aquinas Catholic Academy in Kankakee will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m. every day this week as well.

Students at Bradley Central will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m.; Bradley East, 2 p.m.; and Bradley West, 2:20 p.m. All preschool and kindergarten students will remain on a regular schedule during the upcoming week.

The early dismissal schedule will be in effect all week at Bradley Elementary.

"Without air conditioning in most of the buildings, the temperatures and heat index in the classrooms rise to a level that makes learning difficult," Goselin wrote in the letter to parents.

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Tuesday update: Early school dismissals

• Aquinas Catholic Academy in Kankakee will dismiss at 12:15 p.m. every day this week.

• Bradley Elementary School District will dismiss early every day this week: Bradley Central 1:30 p.m.; Bradley East, 2 p.m.; and Bradley West, 2:20 p.m.

• Central School District will dismiss early Tuesday: Chebanse Elementary School 2 p.m.; Nash Middle School and Central High School 2:30 p.m. There are no afternoon sessions for preschoolers.

• Donovan schools will dismiss early every day this week, per WGFA on Twitter: Donovan Elementary School 2:15 p.m.; Donovan High School 2:30 p.m.

• Kankakee School District will dismiss at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday for grades seven through 12 and 2:30 p.m. for grades kindergarten through six. All of the district's after-school activities Tuesday are postponed, and there will be no Head Start or Bright Beginnings sessions.

• Momence School District will dismiss at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday due to the hot weather.

• Pembroke schools will dismiss at 2 p.

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Too early for whitewash talk - Cook

By Tom Fordyce Chief sports writer at Lord's Captain Alastair Cook played down talk of a first Ashes whitewash after England thumped Australia by 347 runs.

Victory inside four days at Lord's gave them a 2-0 series lead, something no England team have achieved in a home Ashes in 123 years.

"It is certainly too early," said Cook. "But it is a winning habit.

"We won't be taking anything for granted or taking our foot off the pedal. That is not how this England side works."

Graeme Swann claimed 4-78 as England bowled Australia out for 235 with four balls remaining on Sunday to complete their third biggest victory in Test history  in terms of runs.

On the first day they slipped to 28-3 but were never again in trouble, bowling their great rivals out for just 128 in reply before declaring on 349-7 to set Australia a notional 583 to win.

Clarke still 'confident' of series win

England have now won the last four Ashes Tests, and five of the last six.

Cook said: "At certain moments in this game we were right under the cosh, but it is to the credit of the players that they dealt with those moments.

"We have to give credit to the way we bowled in the first innings. Our bowlers have dug us out.

"A few of the boys were keen to finish it tonight and we just about got there in the end."

Opposite number Michael Clarke insists Australia can bounce back in the third Test at Old Trafford, which starts on 1 August, but admitted they have been outclassed so far.

He said: "I am still confident we can win this series. I heard a lot of the crowd laugh when I said that but we have seen just about all our top order can make a fifty; we need someone to go on and make a hundred.

"But I don't want to take any credit away from England. They have outplayed us in both Test matches.

"We need to perform better to win this third Test. We will do everything we can to win. We have plenty of talent. The boys can do it; it is just about doing it consistently."

Only once have Australia won the Ashes after losing the first two Tests - in 1936-37,  when a side featuring Don Bradman came from 2-0 down to win the series 3-2.

England last won the first two Tests of an Ashes series in 1978-79., when they triumphed 5-1.

Only Clarke and Usman Khawaja passed 35 in either Australia innings at Lord's. While the tourists' pace attack has sometimes looked threatening, teenage left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has struggled and the top four have repeatedly failed.

Clarke conceded: "We let ourselves down. We have plenty of experience in our top seven but our shot selection was poor and we just did not have the discipline England had.

"The boys fought well today but I am most disappointed with our performance in the first innings with the bat. You have to bat for long periods to make runs."

Root was named man of the match after 180 in the second innings and accounting for Clarke and Khawaja to induce an Australian collapse on the fourth afternoon.

"I've loved every minute of it," Root told BBC Sport. "It's been a great Test and the most pleasing thing is that everyone has contributed.

"It would have been nice to get 200 but the main goal was to get a lead of 600 and take it from there. I'd swap 200 for an Ashes win any day of the week."

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