It’s just coming up to noon at Old Trafford, and England are nine for one. Moeen Ali is in, and struggling. He can’t seem to get his feet moving, and Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood keep beating him outside off. Moeen has scored nine from 27 balls, one four off the outside edge, when he gets the one he’s been waiting for from Hazlewood. It is full and straight, the same sort of delivery that Shaminda Eranga gave him back in 2014, on his Test debut, and before you know it Moeen is up on his toes, bringing the bat down and around, and the ball is flying away fine behind him for four.
In 2014 England were starting all over again, all over again. They had a new managing director and a new head coach, a new opening bat, a new fast bowler, and a new spinner too. Odd thing was, the one they had picked never seemed entirely sure he was the right man for the job. Moeen had been taking his wickets at 32 each in the previous couple of seasons, but really he still thought of himself as a No 3 batsman. He was the leading run-scorer in the County Championship the season before, and just the week previously he had made 162 against a Surrey attack led by Chris Tremlett.
