He is one of the finest batsmen of his generation, and Test captain. He has long shown that his classical style can thrive in one-day internationals too. But he shouldn't be in the Twenty20 side.

So many, including prominent former international Simon Doull, said of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson earlier this year. And, really, they had a point: in T20 Williamson was looking as out of place as work-life balance in an investment bank.

He had just laboured over eight off 21 balls against Australia: the sort of innings that T20 analysts reckon worse than being out first ball. In his last 11 T20 internationals, Williamson was averaging 18.60, with a strike rate of 100.54 - both failing to score enough runs and scoring the few he did far too slowly.

All of this offers hope for Joe Root after being discarded for the deciding T20I against India. For Williamson, a similarly orthodox player who actually has a slightly slower strike rate than Root in all three formats of cricket, was the top scorer in this year’s Indian Premier League.

Root long ago showed that he can play T20. In his first T20I innings, he thrashed 90 not out against Australia; his 83 off 44 balls in the heist of 230 against South Africa in the 2016 World Twenty20 remains one of England’s finest ever T20 innings.