England’s style is a sea change in Test cricket so will others follow the tide?

Changing the narrative (clockwise from left): Joel Garner of the all-conquering West Indies team; Ben Stokes hits out against New Zealand; South Africa’s googly magician Reggie Schwarz; the Bodyline series in Australia in 1932. Composite: Getty; Alamy, Shutterstock

You might have missed the sign in the window of Australia’s dressing room during the recent second Test against the West Indies in Adelaide. Someone had scrawled “Ron Ball” on a piece of paper and propped it up against the glass, a little dig at England and all the attention they’ve been getting, by way of tribute to Australia’s own coach, Andrew “Ronnie” McDonald.

So the Australians are sceptical about the way England are playing. You wouldn’t expect anything else. “If it comes off, it comes off,” David Warner said back in August, “That’s their brand of cricket. But from our point of view, we’ll be playing Ron Ball.”