Will Jacks 94, Sam Hain 89 carry England to 334 for 8

Sure enough, having waited so long to make an impression, Hain’s opening gambit arguably reinforced the reasons why the selectors had tended to look elsewhere. He even played out a maiden from Adair in reaching 1 from his first 11 balls, and was then dropped at point while scuffing a cut off McCarthy. But finally he landed a solid thump for four through long-on to settle his nerves, and thereafter Hain was into his stride, more confident in his interception points as he skittered out of his crease for another pair of meaty blows down the ground, while rocking back for an authoritative cut through point.

At the other end, Jacks continued to exude an inevitability that belied his three-cap experience, but after crunching Dockrell high over midwicket to march into the 90s, he attempted to reach his century with another solitary blow, but this time found Andy Balbirnie lurking inside the rope to traipse off for 94 from 88.

Jacks’ Surrey team-mate Jamie Smith fared no better in his launch for the ropes. His somewhat anxious debut ended at a 10-ball 9, as Little leapt at long-on to intercept his first shot in anger, but Brydon Carse, loftily placed at No. 7, kept Hain company in a 63-run stand for the sixth wicket that included a thump for six that sent an elderly gent sprawling for the crowd-catch but ended with a miscued hack to cover off Little.

Rehan Ahmed came and went cheaply as Adair got lucky with a full toss, but after Tom Hartley had drilled the first boundary of his international career through the covers, Hain upped his own tempo into the final overs, crashing a brace of boundaries down the ground in Adair’s final over. A century was just about in his sights as he lined up for the last six balls of the innings from McCarthy, but a leading edge to mid-off ended his hopes.