Ollie Pope's promotion at the start of last summer had brought stability to what had been a revolving-door position for almost a decade, the Surrey batter's 15 consecutive starts at first-drop providing the longest run of consistency since Jonathan Trott flew home from the Ashes in 2013.
Pope was the 15th man to attempt to fill the post-Trott void, but after his shoulder injury at Lord's, the 16th, Harry Brook, lasted only one innings, leaving England lining up at Old Trafford this morning for a must-win Ashes Test with one of the more unlikely predecessors back in post.
From Test retiree little more than a month ago to a dual role as frontline spinner and top order bat, Moeen Ali has been cast as something of a self-sacrificial lamb in his new role, putting himself forward for the post after recognising that no one else could, or should, or wants to.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 19, 2023-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 19, 2023-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
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