From the sport that once brought you leg theory, this was more like chaos theory. Before this week nobody knew what you would get if you spent the buildup to a game roasting the pitch in a makeshift fan oven. It turns out the answer is wickets, 13 of them falling on an opening day of drama and frequent befuddlement.
Of the 16 batters who tried only Ben Duckett, who scored 52 before being undone by one that kept unsportingly low, and Jamie Smith, who scored a hugely impressive 89, looked particularly comfortable. In what became the longest innings – since people started noting these things – when only spin was bowled England posted 267, of which 143 were scored while the No 7 was at the crease.
