It’s not often that a team fancies its chances of chasing down 371 in the fourth innings, or 350 on the final day, of a Test. But such is England’s faith in the strength and depth of their aggressive batsmanship that they sincerely believed they could get the job done at Headingley on Tuesday as Ben Stokes’s men won the first Test by five wickets to take 1-0 lead.

They were, however, wary of the quality Jasprit Bumrah possesses. The world’s best bowler had provided a sneak preview of the damage he can wreak with a five-for in the first innings of the first Test, and when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett resumed on 21 for no loss, their first objective was to deny Bumrah early success.

No early breakthrough

Nothing energises Bumrah, like all bowlers, more than drawing blood straightaway. As the tall Crawley and the much shorter Duckett neutralised his threat through tight defence and greater adventurism respectively, the pendulum swung slowly but almost decisively England’s way.