Fair enough, but I think young players are allowed to make mistakes and say the odd stupid thing, without it undermining the whole project.

I think there has been a concerted effort to get better at that, I agree

The funny thing is, they really, really aren't, it's very media overblown.

The main principal is to empower players to play positive, entertaining cricket without fear of failure.

Doing anything different in cricket always comes with heavy scrutiny every time it isn't perfect

I've seen a lot of criticism of England being too aggressive during a flurry of wickets (and in general), which I didn't want to pass judgement on. I need to watch the full 2nd session, as painful as it might be

If I get time, I'll post my 5 Things to Watch Out For in this series too, but that might be a 2am kind of post

Haha, I think some reverse swing is the one thing this series is missing!

There are definitely some factors for drift around bowling speed and ball condition that haven't been that well researched yet, but Washington's drift numbers are super impressive

Yeah, I don't think this is the case. Wobble seam deliveries don't seam more (in fact their average deviation is a lot less because they regularly miss the seam), but it's the variation in movement that is difficult to play.

I do thing they often have lower spin, but not something I've researched.

It's an interesting one, for one, Bumrah just hits the seam more often than anyone. I think it's the extra rotational energy on impact that helps the seam 'grip', as it were, causing it to 'jag' a bit more.

Though I think the ball-pitch interaction is understudied, and not my area of expertise!

I honestly wouldn't put anything past them. Only behind in this game on very fine margins, despite the current score.

Meanwhile, Jamie Smith is on beating Gilbert Jessop duty.

Ludicrous team, never change.

#ENGvIND