Global Sports
It says everything that just when England were finally handed the type of pitch they have been craving, green with pace and bounce, their best bowlers were too exhausted to use it.
So demanding have been the slow, flat surfaces prepared for England’s Test series against India, together with a schedule created more to maximise revenue than care for the welfare of players, both teams are out on their feet.
That means what should be a magnificent finale at the Oval to a five-match series full of drama, controversy and incident is in danger of being diluted, with so many star names of England and India unfit or just unable to take to the historic stage in south London.
None more so than England captain Ben Stokes, who has finally been forced to concede defeat in his heroic attempt to bowl and bat his side to victory almost single-handed because of an injury born out of a brutal workload and relentless calendar.
