A true moment of unity and Latham chases history... TEST MATCH TALKING POINTS

NICK HOWSON AT EDGBASTON: James Anderson brings up Test 162, Trent Boult is Trent Boult and food for thought for Joe Root

Scorecard

Birmingham warmly embraces the B-list

Moment of unity

Whether it was pre-planned or otherwise, England had little option but to conduct another 'moment of unity' before the start of play at Edgbaston.

Though not joined on this occasion by their New Zealand counterparts as they were at Lord's, all 11 players wore the same anti-discrimination t-shirts which they displayed last week.

It was an event that carried extra significance after following a week in which Ollie Robinson was suspended for historic racist and sexist tweets - a story that has become national news.

The Sussex seamer remains under investigation, as does a second unnamed England player, while other controversial posts made by players have surfaced. Joe Root says his team have faced some "ugly truths" in recent days.

Moving the conversation on somewhat, it was reassuring to hear the moment of the unity so warmly embraced by the Edgbaston crowd. This is England cricket's own way of drawing attention to all kinds of prejudice and it was accepted by all.

Unlike last summer, this was not a taking of the knee, a gesture which has drawn criticism and booing from a core of England football fans prior to recent European Championship warm-up internationals. But the point the players were trying to make was the same. It was refreshing to hear cheers rather than jeers.

Root and Chris Silverwood have spoken well on the subject in recent days and appear to have been listened to. Hopefully, Gareth Southgate and his players receive similar treatment.

I don't want to march into a crass debate about the actions of those who watch football and cricket. Neither sport can conclusively claim the moral high ground, so comparisons are unnecessary.

But it was proof that a team can take a non-controversial and entirely reasonable stance on an important issue and those who claim to support them have the foresight to back them.

Unfortunately, we may have to enjoy it while it lasts.

^{James Anderson collected another record without having to bowl a ball on day one}

Anderson on cloud nine

It was hardly a surprise when he was rolled out to speak to the cricket media earlier this week, but James Anderson went to another record when he became England's all-time appearance-maker in Tests at Edgbaston.

Surpassing Sir Alastair Cook to go to 162 Test outings takes the Lancashire seamer to seventh in the all-time list. All being well he will go to second in the standings (Ricky Ponting on 168 is the only man behind Sachin Tendulkar's 200) by the end of 2021

Perhaps more fascinating, a greater measure of a player's longevity could be in the number of teammates they have had over their Test career. Anderson is only joint ninth of the list, alongside Denis Compton, having appeared alongside 96 other players during their international red-ball career.

The top eight, courtesy of the wonderful Andy Zaltzman, is as follows:

1st - Graham Gooch (118 Tests) 113 teammates

2nd - Frank Woolley (64) 110

3rd - Sachin Tendulkar (200) 110

4th - Wally Hammond (85) 106

5th - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (164) 105 

6th - Len Hutton (79) 98

7th - Alec Stewart (133), Colin Cowdrey (78) 97

^{James Bracey recorded a second successive Test duck}

The size of the task facing Latham

New Zealand's decision to give Kane Williamson extra time to recover from an elbow problem is the 12th occasion a touring team has changed their captain mid-way through a Test series in England.

Tom Latham leads the team in Birmingham and history is very much against him.

Only twice has a stand-in captain prevailed upon taking the reigns. The last was Neil Harvey, who took over for the second Test of the 1961 Ashes at Lord's from Richie Benaud and led his side to a five-wicket win.

The only other instance occurred in 1955 when South Africa arrived captained by Jack Cheetham. Trailing 2-0 from as many Tests, vice-captain Jackie McGlew was promoted and helped win the next two.

Cheetham returned for the decider at The Oval but it was England who prevailed, winning by 92 runs.

Latham therefore must defy history to complete a series win.

And again, a hat tip to Mr Zaltzman.

Boult from the blue

On his competitive return to England following last year's World Cup final, Trent Boult was at his very best on the first afternoon.

It was a delightful display of swing bowling which got rid of Rory Burns and James Bracey in successive balls at the end of the 59th over and start of the 61st.

I wrote about the beauty of watching fast bowling in the first Test, and Boult is very much part of that. Unlike Jamieson though, the 31-year-old bounds to the crease like a gazel with a unique kind of grace.

Burns falls for 81, swiftly followed by Bracey for a first-ball duck! England 175-6. #ENGvNZ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇳🇿

📺 Watch 👉 https://t.co/bT0CP9Q8No
📱 Live blog 👉 https://t.co/plQB5LvtVG pic.twitter.com/qLhwRgHMn6

— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 10, 2021

The Anderson-Broad dilemma

Looking at how the Dukes ball swung again after around 30 overs of day one, looking lethal in the hands of Boult, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner as England lost three for 18 after the break, might Joe Root tinker with the configuration of his bowling attack on day two?

That's not to say that Anderson and Stuart Broad should not be given the new ball. Far from it. But their opening spells could be reduced to allow them to be cut loose when the shine on the ball has dissipated.

It is certainly food for thought for the captain, who was among the victims to the ball doing a bit after the break. The home side suddenly went from a position of authority after a solid start to one of severe jeopardy. They are certainly behind the eight-ball after day one.

Mark Wood and Olly Stone are the other quicks available and their extra pace could make a real difference on this pitch. There is an argument floating around that they could be left at one end, but the prospect of watching them in tandem is salivating.

Returning to the original point, it might be prudent for Anderson and Broad, veterans of 1,134 wickets, to be held back until conditions are best. However difficult it might be to resist unleashing them both for a long spell in the morning, should England's tail fail to wag sufficiently, less might end up being more.