England remember to how to enjoy themselves with Trevor Bayliss set to take the reins

What a difference a week makes. On the eve of the first cricket Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s, I was feeling sorry for the potential incumbent coach Jason Gillespie. Even an Aussie didn’t deserve to take over such a basket case team as England had become. The Kevin Pietersen saga just would not go away and England seemed to have missed a great chance to have fuelled an admittedly overcooked box office draw by not recalling the errant and seemingly unloved genius. And the Kiwis were coming over the horizon, ready to inflict further pain on us hapless Poms. At 30 for four on the first morning, things were going all too much according to the dismal script. But somewhere in between times, England turned things on their head. In a classic Test match, they discovered the thrill of enjoying themselves again. During the last two horror visits down under – the 5-0 Ashes wipe out and the recent one-day World Cup debacle – most of the players looked as though they would have had more fun digging roads for a living than actually playing cricket in the Antipodes. But now it’s a case of bring on the second Test at Headingley. And the coaching situation has taken just as severe a twist with “Dizzy’ Gillespie – everyone’s favourite for the job – being outflanked by another Aussie, Trevor Bayliss. I stayed up through the night to watch the Lord’s finale on the box and could not believe it as the Bayliss development was thrown in among the commentators as some virtual bizarre aside. It seems that it’s going to happen. What a tumultuous turnaround. It was a joy to watch the Lord’s crowd lap up the last day events. Even now, it’s only England who know that they can sell out a Test venue on the fifth day. Admittedly the grounds are smaller but in Oz, everybody of an Anglo persuasion jokes that the home supporters have come dressed as the invisible men. Such are the countless banks of empty seats. Meanwhile, the late night cricketing viewing will be spiced up even more when Michael Clarke and his cohorts begin their Test series in the Caribbean soon against the West Indies. The turgid tracks prepared over there for the recent 1-1 series against England hint that things may become hard work for the Aussies. It may be a taxing assignment before they head to the old country for the Ashes collision. After the events of the last week, I would be hesitant to predict what will happen. The Aussies will start favourites but there are a few of ‘em are approaching old-timer status, so maybe if things don’t go well early on, it may get interesting. But first there is another Test against New Zealand. After the opening encounter I just wish things could go on for longer. A two-Test series is hardly worth the bother. Things are only just getting started after a humdinger of an opener. The Kiwis deserve better. They have brought their barnstorming brand of cricket to Blighty and played their part in a classic Test. They deserve a full summer to keep things boiling over. Alas, we will just have to make do with the second instalment at Headingley. But that promises to be great fun. And on Gillespie’s home ground in his role as coaching mentor at Yorkshire. Wonder what he thinks now. What a mad week…