JOE ROOT looked around the glorious green acres and historic buildings at Lord’s and wondered what the heck can go wrong next.
The backdrop might be beautiful but the harsh truth is that England enter the Second Test against India today in a state of chaos, confusion and concern.
Perhaps only a broken finger for Root could be worse — and he was hit on the hand while batting on Tuesday but, thankfully, there was no damage.
England have lost their two greatest bowlers to injury, in Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, and Moeen Ali has leapfrogged the two original spinners in the squad.
It is the first time since 2012 that neither Broad nor Anderson is playing in a home Test.
Moeen’s recall took the bloated party up to 18 and, with Dom Bess discarded and Saqib Mahmood summoned yesterday, it remained at that number.
Haseeb Hameed seems certain to play his first Test for almost five years but Root and head coach Chris Silverwood were last night still deciding whether to leave out Dom Sibley or Zak Crawley.
Do they drop Sibley, who cannot put away bad balls or rotate the strike, or Crawley, who is an outside edge waiting to happen?
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The top order is a mess and hopelessly underprepared to take on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, let alone Aussies such as Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in The Ashes this winter.
The ridiculous schedule means that if Crawley, for example, is asked to go away and practice his red-ball batting, he cannot.
Well, not until Kent’s next County Championship match on August 30. The Hundred has gobbled up high summer.
Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Jonny Bairstow had no first-class cricket before the drawn First Test at Trent Bridge. Moeen last played a red-ball match in February.
Of course some of this is because of Covid quarantines and players going to the IPL.
Bowlers are similarly undercooked and the injuries to Broad (calf tear) and Anderson (quad) suggest one consequence of the rotation policy and idiotic itinerary is that, when they do actually play, they are more likely to get crocked because their bodies are not match-hardened.
And do not forget that England are already without Ben Stokes (mental health break), Jofra Archer (long-term elbow injury), Chris Woakes (heel) and Olly Stone (stress fracture of the back).
It means their banker with the ball is probably Ollie Robinson, playing just his third Test.
England began the summer planning for The Ashes.
Now they just want to get through the next five days without further mishap.
Bairstow did not make a Test appearance in 2020 but now, after ten innings this year in which he has failed to reach 50 and had three ducks, the Yorkshire star is suddenly nailed-on for his spot.
Apart from skipper Root, he looked England’s best batsman at Trent Bridge, even though he scored 29 and 30.
Bairstow, 31, said: “My mindset is in a really strong place at the moment and I’m excited to be back in the Test side, with the first full house at Lord’s for a long time.
“If I can keep that approach, it’s the best way for me to make some large scores and share big partnerships.”
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Virat Kohli will be pleased by Anderson’s absence after he dismissed the India captain for a golden duck in the First Test.
Seamer Shardul Thakur is out with a hamstring injury, which means master spinner Ravi Ashwin is likely to return.
England and India have both been docked two points in the next World Test Championship for their slow over-rates at Trent Bridge — a welcome punishment that will hopefully help speed up the game.
