The Headingley Test has become a spicier match than was ever anticipated at the start of the summer. England were so dire at Lord’s, so emphatically beaten by the side ranked No 7 in the world, that the calls for upheaval will reach a deafening level if England lose again in Leeds.
Suddenly jobs are at stake. Another defeat and there will be more demands for heads to roll. The usual reaction and the one that is familiar whenever a football side are losing is simple: sack the coach. In any case, in this instance, it is Trevor Bayliss’s turn. Joe Root was appointed captain only 15 months ago; Ed Smith, the national selector, one month ago. If England slump again, Bayliss is most obviously in the firing line.
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