England’s summer begins at Lord’s against Ireland on Thursday and even if it is only a starter before the lavish main course of the Ashes I am sure nobody in that dressing room will be taking it lightly. It is, after all, a Test at the home of cricket, a big crowd, a big game and there is lots of competition in the squad.
Several players will remember the game against Ireland in 2019, when my old Middlesex teammate Tim Murtagh got five for 13 and England were bowled out for 85 before lunch on the first day. I am pretty sure that was a one-off – there’s a reason Tim is approaching 1,000 first-class wickets and if you give him the right conditions he’ll exploit them – but the players will want to make absolutely certain.
