It was undoubtedly rancid and yet, at the same time, appropriate. The last 10 wickets lost for 56 runs. The only anomaly that it started with an opening stand of 68: England’s largest of this Ashes series and yet knowingly insignificant. Finally, the opening batters had given Australia something to worry about. Of course, it was for nothing.
It might be worth starting there, and that opening stand. That incorrigible combination England have struggled with for the last four years and “finally” cracked. Even then, on a whim, with Rory Burns recalled after he was dropped for the third Test and replaced by Zak Crawley who would be his partner for this stand, in place of the original survivor Haseeb Hameed. We’d reach that stage of the multi-universe in this Ashes series.
