There was a fascinating moment before the start of play on the first day of the second Test as the England pace bowlers marked out their run-ups using an ECB high performance tape measure and Ollie Robinson almost — almost — forgot to take it really seriously.
A carefree first attempt ended in a minor disaster as the end of the tape blew up in the wind. Robinson seemed about to walk off absent mindedly at one point. Did he even know the precise millimetre-grade length of his run-up, a comfortable thing that brings him rolling up to the crease like a cross channel ferry easing its way into dock? Couldn’t he just jog through it a couple of times and drop his cap?
