England and Joe Root reward fans’ optimism with riotous display of batting | Jonathan Liew

England set about chasing New Zealand’s first innings with an abandon not seen from them for several years in Tests

Tickets for this Test went on sale last September, and so the vast majority of fans at Trent Bridge on Sunday will have reserved their seats months in advance. Really, you have to admire the leap of faith involved there.

Batting collapses. Erratic weather. Covid postponements. For much of the last few years, buying a ticket to watch England play Test cricket has been an act of the purest optimism: the sporting equivalent of playing the lottery.

Continue reading...