Come Thursday there will be that unique hum of excited conversation around the stands at Lord’s. The ground will look a picture, the sun should be shining and when the two decorously blazered captains make their way to the middle for the toss all will seem well with the cricketing world. This may be a veneer of contentment and calm since the game in this country is in a state of flux (say the optimists) or crisis (say the pessimists).
Still, as the umpires make their way through the Long Room there will be a ripple of applause and another international summer of cricket will be under way.
It begins with two Tests against Pakistan, followed by white-ball matches against Scotland, Australia and India and then there is a five‑Test series against India, which is due to come to a conclusion on 11 September at the Oval.
On the radar this summer we note the arrival of the Australians, minus nearly all of their pantomime villains – and their best players – a squad that will have to silently endure a few jibes along the way. At the same time Virat Kohli will be playing Championship cricket for Surrey, which is quite an event.
Like Cheteshwar Pujara at Yorkshire and Matt Renshaw at Somerset, there is a major element of self‑interest here as these players seek to gain experience before playing Test cricket in England. But their presence does suggest that Championship cricket is not as moribund or unattractive as some suggest. In August Ben Stokes will miss the Lord’s Test against India because he will be in court.
But the radar is not always reliable. We all turned up for the Tests in New Zealand in March expecting Stokes to be the focus of our attention but he barely warranted a mention as we ended up concentrating on ball-tampering in Cape Town and a nation in shock on the other side of the Tasman. Something will surprise us.
The international season starts against a backdrop of uncertainty about the English game and the ability of the England and Wales Cricket Board to look after it. I have yet to meet anyone not employed by the ECB who approves of The Hundred, even though it is, according to Colin Graves (if not his chief executive), “set in stone”.
Having sleepwalked this far, the counties not hosting the new competition are keeping their heads down, awaiting their annual boost of £1.3m and hoping to ensure that the T20 Blast is not too damaged.
Only the players can apply the brake now so expect them to be lured by the prospect of additional riches by the ECB. Sacrificed along the way is the burgeoning Kia Super League, the women’s T20 competition, which has been deemed such a success, especially in the shires. They must play The Hundred in the cities as well.
A working group has been set up to look at the game’s domestic structure to be chaired by Wasim Khan, the CEO of Leicestershire, and including Hugh Morris, the CEO of Glamorgan, whose club did or did not receive £2.5m from the ECB, depending on whether you believe the club’s accounts or the ECB’s chairman. Meanwhile, Barry O’Brien resigned as Glamorgan’s chairman 10 days ago so that he could take up a position on the ECB’s executive board, even though “an external review” of that payment is still under way. All this fails to inspire much confidence.
No wonder the ECB is looking for a healthy diversion in the form of some exhilarating international cricket. It is hard to argue that England against Pakistan represents the pinnacle of Test cricket at the moment. England, after their five defeats in seven Test matches in the winter, are ranked No 5 in the world; Pakistan won in Ireland last week but they lost their previous series, against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates, last autumn and they are ranked seventh. But on a good day at Lord’s those rankings can seem an irrelevance; the occasion takes over.
Ed Smith has surprised us with the inclusion of Jos Buttler as a specialist No 7, not an unprecedented move since Derek Randall and Mike Gatting batted there occasionally in the distant past, but an unusual one. If Buttler succeeds, which would be quite an achievement given that he has not faced a red ball since September last year, and others fail up the order that situation may change. It does not feel like a permanent role.
Meanwhile Somerset’s fresh-faced Dom Bess, as a consequence of the injury to his club-mate Jack Leach and the off-spinner’s own stunning start to first-class cricket, will make his debut if the forecast for sunshine is correct.
The logic of elevating Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in the order is hard to fault. Perhaps they can now impose upon the opposition rather than be compelled to launch the rescue act. Under greatest scrutiny among the batsmen are the openers. Alastair Cook’s winter problems were masked by a monumental innings in Melbourne, while there was little sign of Mark Stoneman improving as a Test player. Among the bowlers England must decide whether Chris Woakes, who has been far more potent at home than away in his Test career, or Mark Wood should be included in the final XI.
Pakistan are rebuilding under the captaincy of Sarfraz Ahmed, their inspirational little keeper. If fully fit, Mohammad Amir provides the greatest threat with the ball. Since the retirements of Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali is the senior batsman and the one with the best pedigree is the 22-year-old Imam-ul-Haq, who is Inzamam’s nephew – although I doubt whether he yet retires to a wicker chair on the outfield once he has completed his net.
