It was, of course, inevitable that Test cricket’s return to this parched England summer would bring with it the welcoming relief of rain. Seeking an end to a long dry spell? Well, scheduling a first men’s international red-ball fixture for seven sun-soaked weeks has done the trick with an altogether spottier forecast for Headingley.
That drought has taken with it a coach and a captain, the dead-heading that felt inevitable after a barren winter postponed from spring to summer to bring about a regime change of curious timing. Already, one might suggest, a series has been squandered; the risk now for England is not letting another slip as they look to germinate and bed in a crop that it is hoped can be made to flourish with a little more careful nurturing.
