Has a single training session ever revealed so much about the state of English cricket? England's preparation for Tuesday's ODI against South Africa started at 9am in Leeds with one-third of their squad still in London after playing in the Hundred final . Then, two hours later, one of the few players present told the world he was quitting red-ball cricket indefinitely.

Harry Brook said he was "a little bit shocked" to learn of Jamie Overton' s decision, barely two months before an Ashes series for which he would very likely have been picked. But a glance around Headingley would have confirmed that things are not what they used to be: cricket's scheduling has never been perfect, but gaps between series have never been shorter.

Brook's own schedule has been packed enough. Since the

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