Twelve months after debating retirement, the bowler showed promise on the first day of his Test debut against Ireland
The sun came just before lunch, breaking the blanket of cloud which had looked so encouraging as England started the day. “We’re here to score runs, take wickets and win games – and we like to do all three as quickly as we can,” enthused Ben Stokes in the programme, and after winning the toss and taking the briefest glance at the concrete-grey slab that hung over the ground there seemed no doubt that his quickest route to victory lay through unleashing his bowlers to cause chaos with a new ball and a green-tinged pitch.
But England weren’t just here for that, given they had very deliberately decided not to select the team that would be most likely to take wickets and win the game as quickly as possible. A minor groin strain and an abundance of caution meant Jimmy Anderson would have no chance here to add to his 685 Test wickets, and the recent memory of an ankle problem was enough to rule out Ollie Robinson.
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