And fade to blue. Don’t look back. Do not retain for archive reasons. On a deliciously restless night in Kolkata, and no doubt to the relief of all concerned with keeping its limbs twitching away, England’s tournament has finally expired.
The World Cup that kept on thrusting a hand up through the mud, coffin lid creaking, has now been exorcised, the last rites a decisive but always low-throttle defeat of Pakistan. There will be time to talk about goodbyes, time to talk about Rob Key’s promised reckoning-up.
