Stuart Broad and James Anderson share a bond that can never be broken

HUW TURBERVILL: As if England needed reminding, but playing their highest Test wicket-takers history together might be the way to go in India

Chris Silverwood defends England's rotation policy and sends message to supporters

England captain Joe Root throws down the gauntlet to India

Roger Moore played James Bond in seven films.

He nearly quit after his third, the superb The Spy Who Loved Me, wondering if he was too old at 50.

The producers screen-tested just about everybody who looked good in a tuxedo, but they kept going back to Rog because: a) he was great and b) the whole thing was working a treat.

England are in a similar situation now with James Anderson and Stuart Broad: in terms of playing them both, especially overseas, never say never again.

For Anderson, 38, it is a case of you only live twice.

Before he was 30 he took 268 Test wickets at 30.37 apiece. Since then he has taken 338 at 23.61. His spell of 6 for 40 in the first innings of the second Test at Galle was one of the greats, without a doubt.

England omitted Stuart Broad, 34, for the second Test, after he cannily took 3-20 in the first innings of the first Test. He’s been brilliant since he was left out of the opening Test against West Indies by stand-in skipper Ben Stokes last summer. When he gets on a roll he truly delivers a thunderball.

England will be thinking about playing them both in the first Test against India at Chennai, starting on February 5.

^{Dom Bess made handy contributions with bat and ball in the second Test (Sri Lanka Cricket)}

Presumably, Jofra Archer will be back too, with Mark Wood rested after his incredible efforts in Sri Lanka.

If you add the two spinners to the mix, do England have a problem with the tail? 

Dominic Bess is handy with the bat, and averages 25.50; Broad, becoming effective again with his swishing after his short-ball struggles, 19.12; Jack Leach, Ireland at Lord’s and Australia at Headingley 2019 will always be etched on his bat, 16.07; Archer, not really shown what he can do yet with the willow for England, 8.68; Anderson, unlike his bowling his batting has gone backwards, 9.69. 

I guess if that quintet could guarantee their mean total of 77-78 runs between them, England could live with that, but it will be mightily tough against Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin.

You can see why England have been playing Sam Curran, but he’s not quite delivering consistently enough yet in Tests, although at 22 time is on his side.

He bowls handy spells but averages just over two wickets per Test (44 in 21), and since his second Test half-century, 64 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in November 2018, he has scored 337 runs at 17.74.

Dom Sibley’s courageous match-winning innings, watched through your fingers, has complicated selection for India now. Rory Burns returns, along with Stokes. Dan Lawrence looked good in the first Test in Sri Lanka at least. Zak Crawley needs to be treated with care and consideration. Ollie Pope is easing his way back.

I am choosing to ignore resting / rotating. Pretending it’s not happening. It’s Test cricket. Yes I know the schedule is gruelling with 17-19 Tests a year when there should be 12 max, but you play your best XI in a Test match

— Huw Turbervill (@huwzat) January 23, 2021

The selectors have made it easier by resting Jonny Bairstow for the first two Tests.

Yes, there are mitigating circumstances. There are 13 Tests this year before this winter’s Ashes (another three before New Year). There should not be more than 12 in total – six at home, six away.

They had to rearrange the Sri Lanka series after last year’s abandonment, however, and yes, thank goodness they did, otherwise, we would all be bored stiff. 

As I have said before, Test players should not be rotated – this is not the Carabao Cup… and Nasser Hussain and David Lloyd (“resting. Unbelievable,” he said on Sky) agree, so that’s good enough for me. 

I admit it does grate me when you see the same players go off to the IPL (the world is not enough for them, it seems). 

It is what it is. I guess the medical people warn of burn-out: Dr No.

Before we get too far ahead of us, fulsome praise to England for an excellent series win in Sri Lanka. They won 3-0 in 2018 too. The hosts need to get their act together to preserve their Test future. Lasith Embuldeniya’s emergence gives them a quantum of solace, though.

It wasn’t quite as notable a victory as 2000/01 for England, when the hosts had Muttiah Muralitharan, but it was superb, nevertheless. They are showing a licence to kill [that’s the last Bond pun… Ed] under the magnificent Joe Root and it augurs well for the mouthwatering clashes ahead this year.