The next time someone talks about the future of Test cricket in sombre tones, as if its decline is as inevitable as coastal erosion, point them to the rearranged fifth Test between England and India that gets under way in leafy south Birmingham on Friday.
Granted, the sands are shifting elsewhere in the world. But India pitch up in whites this week because to not complete last year’s series – one the tourists led 2-1 when Covid entered their camp ahead of the Old Trafford finale – would have left a £40m black hole. In these parts, whatever the short-form enthusiasts say, Test cricket is still king.
