I was also reminded of what that excellent England paceman and part time poet John Snow said in the sixties; “The bouncer is a short and emphatic examination paper that you put to the batsman.”u00a0Both the on-field actions of pace bowlers and Snow’s comment are ample reason for coaches of talented young batsmen to think carefully about the way they prepare players for the future. Any coach fortunate enough to have a young batsman who he thinks is skilled enough to reach international level, should automatically have his pupil learn the full repertoire of shots.

England’s Jonny Bairstow ducks a short ball during Day Three of the Lord’s Test against West Indies on May 19.u00a0