A cursory glance at the fixture list in April held out no great hopes for this Test, the first at Lord’s to start in September. In a week when the Indian Premier League flexed its muscle, and the ECB released next year’s fixture list with no Tests in the prime seven weeks of summer, let us be thankful, then, for small mercies. This week, there is all to play for. A Test match, a series and the Wisden Trophy are at stake for both teams after last week’s stupendous upset at Headingley, and there are Ashes places up for grabs for a batch of England players, too. On top of that, James Anderson stands on the brink of becoming only the third fast bowler in…

Source: The Times September 06, 2017 16:07 UTC