For the second Sunday in a row an ODI series decider awaits England’s white-ball team, set up by their bowlers – Reece Topley, followed by the spinball wizardry of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali – after their batters continued a summer-long struggle.
Perhaps this is being a touch harsh about their efforts with the bat on Friday, given the nature of their 118-run win over South Africa at Old Trafford. Cut to 29 overs a side due to rain, it left a format that was a bit Bob Cunis – neither one thing nor the other, as John Arlott once said of the New Zealand bowler – and thus a tricky balance to strike for the team up first.
