"The tour is only a matter of hours old, but the wry thought occurs to me that reputations will almost certainly be destroyed in the next few months." The pessimistic, pithy aside of Geoffrey Boycott in his chronicles of England’s 1981 tour of the West Indies, Life in the Fast Lane, serves as a useful guide to the challenges of an overseas Test series. Virtually since Test cricket began, it has been easy for touring players to take a defeatist view – making their way by sea or, latterly, air to far-flung lands, many a cynical travelling international cricketer has known they are on little more than a hiding to nothing.
For historically, the odds were stacked vastly in favour of the hosting teams. Be it friendly umpires, knowledge of conditions or merely the comforts of home, only twice in Test history have visiting sides won more than 40 percent of their matches across a calendar year.
