Lord's hosts its 150th Test match this week, and like its famous lunch menu, there are plenty of enticing options as regards storylines. England are seeking redemption and refinement following that god-awful Ashes winter. New Zealand are both familiar opponents and a tricky first assignment.
New Faces and Old Challenges
There is at least one new face for England, with Emilio Gay confirmed to make his debut as opener after patience with Zak Crawley finally snapped. There is an old one too, with Ollie Robinson back from the cold and set to take the new ball after convincing the management that he is now a committed professional.
Ben Stokes defended Archer's Test absence and warned that strictness risks England exit. For those worried about the future of the longest format, the International Cricket Council met in Ahmedabad over the weekend and resolved to form a committee to assess harmonisation of franchise cricket with the international calendar.
Franchise Cricket Concerns
The cynics might point to the fact that the horse has not so much bolted as disappeared over the horizon entirely. But no, here comes a committee ready to discuss how they might shut the stable door. Naturally it will be made up of representatives from the boards that left it open in the first place.
This first Test is just the latest case in point. A sketchy weather forecast notwithstanding, it will no doubt be a great occasion in St John's Wood. The first three days are nearly sold out, the fourth has only a few hundred tickets left. As Ben Stokes put it a day out from the toss, these two teams have served up some terrific cricket in recent times.
But it is also subtly compromised by dint of Jofra Archer's absence for reasons that, despite a healthy central contract repeatedly renewed during lengthy injury layoffs, are apparently beyond England's control. Essentially, Archer's recent spell with Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League meant he was never going to be physically ready for a five-day Test. So Stokes, a captain now stressing an urgency for wins, starts the series without his premier fast bowler.
Player Availability Issues
Then there is Jacob Bethell, who arrived back in the UK last week after his IPL stint at Royal Challengers Bangalore. That spell saw him miss the first six rounds of the County Championship. Bethell eventually played a bit, with seven outings for a top score of 27, but he comes into this Test cold and nursing a finger injury.
Bethell will have doubtless learned plenty at RCB, with the franchise's head coach, Andy Flower, unquestionably the best in the business right now. Bethell is also a serious talent, whose maiden Test century in Sydney in January had gnarled Aussies cooing and represented a genuine phoenix from the flames of England's bin-fire. But while that talent may yet prevail, few can argue this was the optimum way for a 22-year-old to prepare for his first innings against a red ball in five months. It's an innings that will pit him against a notably potent seam attack in the wily Matt Henry and two giant quicks in Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke.
As with Archer, England have pretty much conceded the primacy of the IPL here. But then you look at the left-handed batting hope in the New Zealand lineup, Rachin Ravindra, and a different picture emerges. Frozen out of the first XI at Kolkata Knight Riders, Ravindra negotiated an early exit from his franchise in order to switch his focus to Test cricket. He flew home for two weeks of training against the red ball and was then available to play Ireland in a one-off Test last week. So it turns out an early release from the IPL can be achieved. Much like last year, when Bethell warmed the bench in the IPL and Ollie Pope muddied Test selection with a century against Zimbabwe, perhaps the difference is that England didn't want to ask the question.
Systemic Issues
It certainly feels like the whole system in this country is now in thrall to the franchise world. So much so, in fact, there is even a little trophy in the offices of the England and Wales Cricket Board at Lord's that celebrates the sale of the Hundred teams last year. That sale now sees England unable to withdraw players from the Hundred for reasons other than injury. In essence, the central contracts intended to manage workloads are valid for just nine months a year. If rest is needed, it is to be taken on England's time.
And just this last week, Andrew Flintoff was named as the new head coach of Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. The fact this means the Lions will be without a head coach for the second half of a South Africa tour is apparently not a problem.
Stokes stressed that the landscape is the issue here, forcing teams and individuals into uneasy compromises. Whether an ICC committee formed 18 years after the IPL's creation can find a workable solution is another matter.
Probable Teams
England: Emilio Gay, Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir.
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wk), Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Will O'Rourke.
