Right, deep breath. It feels strange casting thoughts towards a crunch Ashes Test that gets under way on Thursday when the skip fire that resulted from the last one – sparked by the stumping of Jonny Bairstow by Alex Carey – is still raging.
This swift return to on-field action may well be a good thing. Over the past three days there has been so much said, written and tweeted about Bairstow’s dismissal on the final day at Lord’s; an outpouring of cultural differences, grudges, prime ministers and false equivalences that have gone well beyond the wicket itself. Fresh cricket to watch and digest should move things on, mercifully.
