England beat New Zealand by 115 runs in the opener on an absolute stinker at Lord’s.
The pitch was so dodgy it picked up a demerit point and left the ground staff red-faced.
One cheeky, unnamed cricket observer even suggested it was the reason for Kane Williamson’s shock international retirement.
There had been hints Williamson would retire soonish, but no-one expected him to depart mid-series.
It is the end of an era for the Black Caps.
Williamson is undoubtedly the country’s greatest test batter. His heart was not in it any more and his departure removes a generational talent from the top order.
The Black Caps whistled in Will Young as a replacement. But Canterbury’s Henry Nicholls will perhaps get first dibs at No 3 in the batting lineup.
Nicholls had a very productive domestic season.
England have had plenty of drama as well.
Captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson have been stood down after breaking team protocols while celebrating victory in the first test.
Ollie Robinson has been ruled out with a knee problem, while offspinner Shoaib Bashir has missed selection.
Joe Root will captain the side in the absence of Stokes.
Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker will make their debuts for England in a rejigged side, while Jofra Archer and Matthew Fisher have also been named in the starting XI.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith has been named in the side, but his partner is expecting a child and Somerset’s James Rew is on standby.
Black Caps batter Rachin Ravindra described Williamson as ‘‘probably our greatest player’’ and said his absence would be sorely felt.
‘‘Kane Williamson is such an amazing player, but more than that, he is an amazing bloke and has contributed so much to New Zealand and the environment.
‘‘Personally, I’ve looked up to him for a long time now.
‘‘I was very lucky to share the crease with him and enjoy some cool partnerships. We are grateful for what he has given this group.’’
As far as the drama with Stokes and Atkinson was concerned, Ravindra deflected questions.
‘‘I mean, it’s always interesting when you’re the other team and you hear news like that, but honestly, we’re just focused on us.’’
With England having to make so many changes, though, it is an opportunity for the Black Caps to strike.
‘‘I mean, you could think of it that way, but ... we’re always looking to play good cricket and they played a great game at Lord’s.
‘‘Every time you go out and play, you want to win and you want to capitalise on opportunities, so I wouldn’t say it’s any more so because of the last week or so.’’
Second test
The Oval, 10pm
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young.
England: Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, Rehan Ahmed, James Rew, Ollie Robinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.
