England find value in mismatch to get the gang back together in style

England find value in mismatch to get the gang back together in style

Not all days of Test cricket teach you something. Not all days of Test cricket add to its lore. Not all days of Test cricket shift the dial. Sometimes, like this Thursday in Nottingham, they are simply a collection of 88 uncompetitive overs and 498 seemingly inevitable runs. Sometimes Test cricket can be more one-sided than the seating plan at The Last Supper.

Days like these give Test cricket a more transactional feel, consumed through gritted teeth, glad for it despite the lack of meaningful contest. The format’s deep past implores you to appreciate its present, and it was certainly easier for the 10,081 at Trent Bridge to do so given the significance of England’s past with these particular opponents.

In an era of meaningless, shoehorned fixtures, this one-off, four-day Test – a soft re-launch of a bilateral relationship between England and Zimbabwe – might be the most meaningful. A high-profile, low-jeopardy gesture of goodwill that serves a competitive and political purpose. A first meeting in 22 years comes as part of a broader “re-accepting” of Zimbabwe as a Test nation, as well as an easy taper for England into 10 hotly contested Tests split between India and Australia.

Zak Crawley is congratulated by Ollie Pope after reaching his fifth Test century Getty Images

Zimbabwe would be forgiven for wondering if this is really worth the fuss, after the kind of toil they’d happily do without for 22 years more. The day’s grazing – with more to come on Friday – began after they were hoodwinked at the toss by overcast skies and a pitch that feigned life. Richard Ngarava’s injury left them a bowler short for the second half of the day. And with all due respect to Sikandar Raza, who picked up the slack, his Sunil Narine-lite shtick grew weary by the end, even as the most economical bowler on show.

England can never take much from these kind of days, given the various disparities between them and their opponents. Not to mention that runs against Zimbabwe tend to be bracketed alongside those against Ireland and Bangladesh – the first to be discarded when getting into the weeds of any batter’s career. That being said, with India at home and an away Ashes up next – familiar opponents for this English batting core – it is hard to begrudge them a bit of a feast.

With the stat-padding, however, came an appreciated, albeit momentary halting of the narratives that had been building up at the start of the summer. Two of the three centurions at the top of the order, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, are perennially thought to be at risk but, right now, seem to be a little closer to the edge. The former is wrestling with a lean trot, triggered by an 8.66 average in the last series against New Zealand, while the latter is threatened by the looming presence of Jacob Bethell.

Tanaka Chivanga looks dejected as Zak Crawley piles on the runs Getty Images

Pope, the player under greater threat at No.3, strode off with a bumper unbeaten 169 and counting, an innings that contained the hallmarks of impishness that usually offset his early skittishness. Crawley, meanwhile, beamed with relief after a first century in two years. Familiar characteristics in very friendly settings.

“You know you are under pressure but I just want to play well,” Crawley explained at stumps, speaking about his general head space. “[Social media] can bother you a little bit but the annoying thing is not playing well. That’s what I focus on.

“You don’t want to feel like you are hanging on. I have felt under pressure for my place loads of times in my career, and it’s a much nicer place to be when you feel you are contributing.”

For about 24 hours, some of that pressure had inadvertently come from within the sanctuary. On the eve of the match, not long after head coach Brendon McCullum had preached more care with media engagements, the Test captain had seemingly put Crawley and Pope on notice.

“I think you put 2 and 2 together, you probably know what’s going to happen,” Stokes had said, when asked if Bethell, currently out at the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, would come back for the India series. It was only on Wednesday evening, during Stokes’ usual poring over England’s media coverage, that he realised he had misspoken rather than been misconstrued. His effusiveness, it was urgently explained behind the scenes, had been around Bethell’s return to the squad – a no-brainer following his exploits on that maiden series in New Zealand – rather than a direct route in the XI.

Overnight, he mulled over setting the record straight by addressing Wednesday’s headlines, ones that spoke of pressure on Crawley and Pope. In the end, he decided not to. Crawley, unaware of the comments, revealed Stokes had not broached the subject with him or team – and nor did he need to.

‘Stokes looked pleased with how things were panning out’ 

Watching on from the home balcony at the Radcliffe Road End, Stokes looked pleased with how things were panning out. He might have been fearful that the previous fortnight of bonding, intended to get his charges back into the groove, could have been scuppered. As it happens, their six-month break from Test cricket has only reiterated the fondness.

It was evident in England’s reactions to the admittedly subdued celebrations out in the middle, even as Ben Duckett celebrated his first century at his home club. A more respectful ovation was saved for the very end, when Joe Root saluted the crowd upon reaching 13,000 Test runs.

“I love being around this team, I wish we could play every week,” Crawley said. “I love being around these guys and I’ve missed it a lot.

“It’s been nice being around the last couple of weeks and I’m looking forward to a good summer.”

It is not disrespectful to Zimbabwe to suggest Thursday is as easy as Test cricket will get for England, in this match and over the next nine months. And for all the absence of jeopardy so far, the tougher times that lie in wait suggest these undemanding yet nourishing days should not be taken for granted.