I absolutely love this series. Cricket, where there was none, at a ludicrous UK hour, featuring all manner of young tyro. By the sounds of things, today will see Tom Banton make his debut, Saqib Mahmood make his second appearance and Pat Brown his third. I cannot wait to see these lads work.

New Zealand, meanwhile, will be New Zealand, and for that we can all be thankful – even in the absence of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult. They don’t have anything like the depth or firepower that England have, but their essential, elemental New Zealandness will most likely compensate for that. The five-match series is currently tied at 1-1.

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