Young players need to be integrated slowly for best chance of success so putting Root and Bairstow lower down defies logic
The first Test of the summer and of a new era starts against New Zealand on Thursday at Lord’s. Some will be expecting instant results from the new coach, Brendon McCullum, and his captain, Ben Stokes – after all, when the white-ball reset was triggered after the humiliation of the 2015 ODI World Cup, in England’s next match on home soil, also against New Zealand, they scored more than 400 runs for the first time and set out on a path that ended in them winning the World Cup four years later.
The progress was remarkable, with a strategy of ultra-aggressive batting, Adil Rashid’s leg-spin in the middle overs and pitches flat enough for the batters to enjoy themselves. It was a formula that worked, but one-day cricket is quite formulaic.
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