Now that they are safely into the World Cup semi-finals, there are comforts that can be drawn from the wobbles England encountered on their uncertain progress through the group stage. One is that they now have momentum — the victories over India and New Zealand carrying them into the last four with the wind in their sails — another is that they have been sorely tested as a team, staring down the barrel of an early exit, and come through the other side, the sort of experience that can bind a squad together more tightly.

A third is that they have reached this point without a defining innings from their most potent match-winner. Perhaps this is a little unfair on Jos Buttler, who hit a