The talk coming into this game was of needle, niggle and spite, of raising hackles and diminishing the spirit of the game, and beyond that of balls that lost their shape and days that lost too many overs. Somehow, 15 days of high-quality and largely compelling cricket had been distilled to the dominant themes of bad sportsmanship, bad workmanship and bad value.
Then, in the fourth Test of a series whose narrative had apparently been established, none of it. Not a single ball change. Entire days when every scheduled over was bowled. When Shubman Gill pulled out at the last possible moment as Chris Woakes ran in to bowl late on Saturday afternoon and the two briefly exchanged words it was as close as the game had got to an outbreak of bad temper. It amounted to little more than a scowl and came right at the end of its 304th over.
