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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Simon Burnton

All change for the Oval as England hope for normality after extraordinary week

Joe Root, standing in as England captain for the second men's Test against New Zealand, walks across the outfield at the Oval to have a pre-match net.
At the end of the first Test, Joe Root could hardly have imagined he would be back as captain for the second. Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

These past 10 days must have been curious for New Zealand’s cricketers, as their restful mid-series downtime was occasionally interrupted by news of England’s latest convulsions. “I guess it probably wasn’t necessarily what we were expecting,” deadpanned their captain, Tom Latham.

At least most of his own side got a chance to relax. “A lot of guys have had some good family time, they’ve had a bit of time off to refresh the bodies, refresh the minds and get ready for what we’ve got coming up,” Latham said. “We’re not necessarily used to a big break like that, but guys did their own thing, some guys got away. So we’re ready to go.”

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