All change for the Oval as England hope for normality after extraordinary week

At the end of the first Test, Joe Root could hardly have imagined he would be back as captain for the second. Photograph: Gareth Copley/ View image in fullscreen At the end of the first Test, Joe Root could hardly have imagined he would be back as captain for the second. Photograph: Gareth Copley/ All change for the Oval as England hope for normality after extraordinary week It is rare to make five changes after winning a hundred runs, but this has not been a normal week between Tests for England These past 10 days must have been curious for New Zealand’s cricketers, as their restful mid-series downtime was occasionally interrupted ’s latest convulsions. “I guess it probably wasn’t necessarily what we were expecting,” deadpanned their captain, Tom Latham. At least most of his own side got a chance to relax. “A lot of guys have had some good family time, they’ve had a bit of time off to refresh the bodies, refresh the minds and get ready for what we’ve got coming up,” Latham said. “We’re not necessarily used to a big break like that, but guys did their own thing, some guys got away. So we’re ready to go.” They have had to deal with the unexpected international retirement of one of their greatest ever players in Kane Williamson, while saying that “some guys got away” rather underplays the fact that Devon Conway has flown home, witnessed the birth of his second child and flown back again. But if the tourists have not been exactly drama-free themselves, in this respect at least England have been on another level. The home side’s challenge at the Oval is to demonstrate that as a group they can be as good at their day jobs as they are at unnecessary crisis-creation. Stand-in captain Joe Root admits England have let themselves down with behaviour These are extraordinary times, to which England have responded ; an already eyebrow-raising selection that, after Jamie Smith’s withdrawal late on Tuesday after the birth of a daughter, seemed to be approaching, like Douglas Adams’ Heart of Gold when it nears top speed, infinite improbability. James Rew parachuted neatly into Smith’s spot, a third debutant to join two players making just their second Test appearances, while for a variety of reasons only one of the five bowlers picked for the first Test will take part in the second.