Only after being thrashed at the Oval in 1998 have England stopped treating their Test rivals this month as underdogs – but all subsequent series have been played on equal footing
From this distance it seems to have been a tricky little start to the tour of Sri Lanka, where England spent three days locked up inside their hotel rooms, then had one half of their only warm-up game washed out by rain. Still, Joe Root has handled these little challenges with more grace, and good humour, than some of his predecessors did.
Related: Joe Root backs England's patient approach to bring success in Sri Lanka
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