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Key occasions
After years of being overlooked as a result of England had been also-rans being overshadowed by means of the World Test Championship, the scores are again!
This four-day Test is the primary assembly between the perimeters since 2003, when England received each Tests by means of an innings. Interesting staff they’d, a mixture of generations with a few bolters.
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Marcus Trescothick
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Michael Vaughan
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Mark Butcher
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Nasser Hussain (c)
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Robert Key
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Alec Stewart (wk)
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Anthony McGrath
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Ashley Giles
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Matthew Hoggard (Richard Johnson in 2d Test)
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Steve Harmison
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James Anderson
Ali Martin’s preview
If the historical past of English cricket tells us the rest – and a reminder got here most effective closing iciness with the ladies’s staff and a massacre in Australia that compelled a transformation of captain and trainer – it’s that this stuff have a tendency to perform in response to the Ashes cycle. Whatever iteration of Bazball that is, its position in historical past – and a couple of jobs within the set-up – will probably be outlined by means of the Test effects over the following 9 months.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the 3rd and ultimate act of Bazball, the top idea movie that has ate up English cricket for the previous few years. The first two acts adopted a story arc that Robert McKee would approve of, if most effective he knew what the hell cricket used to be. In 2022 and 2023 we had the set-up, with England taking part in some astonishing cricket and sweeping (virtually) all earlier than them. Last yr they encountered struggle and stumbling blocks, with sequence defeats in India and Pakistan and a rising backlash towards the B-word.
Now it’s time for the answer. In the following 8 months England will play 11 Test fits, beginning with Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge over the following 4 days, and the ancient judgement on Bazball will probably be forged. We all know what a cheerful finishing looks as if: Sydney, early January, Ben Stokes conserving a bit urn and haemorrhaging tears of pleasure like the trendy guy he’s. But no longer each nice movie – and Bazball is maximum indubitably that – has a cheerful finishing: Mulholland Drive, Se7en, Casablanca, Chinatown. If England draw with India and are pummelled by means of Australia, the euphoria of act one will probably be forgotten. Forget it Baz, it’s Australia away.
There’s one thing else to believe. England have crept as much as No2 within the Test scores, a topic that we’re contractually obliged to say most effective when they have got an opportunity of attaining best spot. There’s a disconcertingly possible state of affairs wherein they may be able to win the Ashes in Australia and grow to be global No1 on the time. Don’t get too excited, although; the World Test Championship remains to be off limits. Even if England win all 11 Tests, they’ll lose such a lot of issues for a gradual over-rate that they’ll most probably nonetheless be caught in mid-table.
England are anticipated to overcome Zimbabwe at a canter, so the primary center of attention will probably be at the particular person narratives. Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are realistically taking part in for one position towards India; Sam Cook has after all been dropped from England’s biggest uncapped XI; Shoaib Bashir has been retained regardless of a bruising six months; and Josh Tongue, who has bowled ferociously for Notts since getting back from damage, performs his first Test for the reason that Lord’s Ashes Test of 2023.
Lord’s 2023. Jonny Bairstow’s stumping, Ben Stokes pumping sixes to all portions. The stakes felt bloody top then, despite the fact that we had been nonetheless in act one. Now it’s the beginning of act 3, and it’s time for this laboured metaphor to forestall the denoument.
Play starts at 11am, with the toss at 10.30am.
