Tougher Tests set to come!

Alan Richardson Former cricketer and Worcestershire head coach

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ENGLAND have begun what will be a pivotal nine months or so in the Test arena.

They started a four-day Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge yesterday - but bigger challenges are on the horizon.

India are coming to these shores later in the summer and then, of course, there's the Ashes series Down Under to negotiate later in the year.

I’m writing this column before a ball was bowled at Trent Bridge, but I do question whether this is the ideal start to the summer.

We saw last week that a Professional Counties’ XI, which was basically made up of youngsters, beat Zimbabwe in their warm up. So all the evidence points to the fact that England will win this Test pretty comfortably.

They will want to guard against complacency, though, and we saw a few years ago that the so-called lesser Test nations can provide a bump in the road.

Ireland bowled out England for 85 in the first innings of a Test at Lord’s, but the hosts managed to recover to eventually win the Test.

But with all due respect to Zimbabwe, it’s not going to be the best barometer test considering what lies ahead.

India will be a sterner challenge, even though a couple of their star names, including talisman Virat Kohli, have recently retired from Test cricket.