And frankly, is this not what the people want? Australia may be on the verge of going 2-0 up after enduring the worst of the conditions, the loss of their champion spinner and an out-of-form No 3 batter. But these are mere details, and the men of Bazball do not trouble themselves with details. Could they have gone harder? Could they have lost their wickets in even more perplexing ways? Could they have thrilled us even more? When cornered, don’t back down. Double down.
For all the wildness and weirdness of the darkening evening, this Test turned on the slapstick of the morning session, when England resumed with a slight advantage on 278 for four and were dismissed just 15 overs later. There is a school of thought out there that if you appreciated England’s style of cricket when they were winning, then it is unfair to criticise it when it fails to come off. This is a little bit like arguing that if you have ever enjoyed a meal at a restaurant, you are not entitled to complain when they give you E. coli on your next visit. It’s just the way they cook. They’re taking a whole new approach to gastronomy. And ultimately, when you get down to it, is there really any difference between fine dining and violent diarrhoea?
