Summer is over. The sky is thick and heavy with cloud, the breeze chilly enough for Marnus Labuschagne and a handful of Australians to put on their knitwear. England are 2-1 down, the Ashes are gone, and Ben Stokes has just lost the most meaningful toss of the series. It is the dictionary definition of a bowler’s morning, and England – this England – are going out to bat.
The Stokes-McCullum era has faced many challenges over the past 12 months but nothing quite like this. Not on the first morning in these conditions, against this attack. Mitchell Starc has a glint in his eye; Pat Cummins is bowling 90mph bouncers. So is this the day to tweak the dials of Bazball? Would they turn down the volume just a notch?
