We know the next England Test captain will be Joe Root. We know, in all probability, the Test captain after Root as well: Keaton Jennings, who has played just two Tests, yet has already been appointed the captain of the Lions who set forth in a week to tour Sri Lanka, and of the North in the three-match one-day series against the South in March, with the Durham captaincy to follow if he can squeeze it in.

The qualities Jennings displayed in his 112 on his Test debut in Mumbai last month were evident before he faced his first ball, when he gave the most assured press conference by an England debutant for a long while. Loads of cameras, dozens of media, yet he was poised, open and articulate – just as you would expect of a former head boy of King Edward VII in Johannesburg, which produced another South Africa Under-19 captain in Graeme Smith, who went on to become the longest-serving Test captain ever.

“I was put into some tough situations, not least public speaking and there was a lot of dealing with adults,” Jennings recalled last week of his year as head boy. “I would be amongst boardroom people, sat on AGMs, hearing certain things you wouldn’t necessarily want to hear about as a 17 or 18-year-old. You’d much rather be playing some cricket or touch rugby with your mates. But I must admit it was a really enjoyable year.”