Josh Tongue shows England potential as Stuart Broad puts on masterclass

T he sun came just before lunch, breaking the blanket of cloud which had looked so encouraging as England started the day. “We’re here to score runs, take wickets and win games – and we like to do all three as quickly as we can,” enthused Ben Stokes in the programme, and after winning the toss and taking the briefest glance at the concrete-grey slab that hung over the ground there seemed no doubt that his quickest route to victory lay through unleashing his bowlers to cause chaos with a new ball and a green-tinged pitch.

But England actually weren’t just here for that, given they had very deliberately decided not to select the team that would be most likely to take wickets and win the game as quickly as possible. A minor groin strain and an abundance of caution meant Jimmy Anderson would have no chance here to add to his 685 Test wickets, and the recent memory of an ankle problem was enough to rule out Ollie Robinson. Chris Woakes, who has taken 27 wickets at an average of 11.33 in five previous games here for his country, has no fitness difficulties and seemed pretty convinced as late as Wednesday afternoon that he would be making his first Test appearance in 14 months, was left out on the basis that, as Stokes explained, “everyone knows what he offers”.

No, England weren’t primarily here to score runs or take wickets. They were here to go through the motions, to hone their competitive edge with an eye on the Ashes, to ease Jonny Bairstow back into the team after injury and to assess the one member of the side who retained an air of mystery. Stokes chose to bowl and the stage was set: this would be Tongue’s test.

Josh Tongue collected his cap from Anderson before play, and the ball and a pat on the back from Stuart