Remember when the Ashes were moved to ensure England could have ideal preparation for the 2015 World Cup? Remember when Sri Lanka was deemed the ideal place to prepare for a World Cup in Australia and New Zealand? And when the idea of Alastair Cook getting in the best XI – let alone being captain – was finally abandoned on the eve of the tournament? Fail to prepare; prepare to fail. Fail to qualify for the knock-out stages. Check the data.

On Friday, Eoin Morgan captained the ODI team for a record 70th time, overseeing a comfortable 4-wicket win to go 2-0 up against the World Cup holders. Andrew Strauss deserves credit for sticking with Morgan as captain after the 2015 shambles, and also, as far as white-ball cricket is concerned, for appointing Trevor Bayliss as coach. A young and talented squad have thrived under their leadership and example. Preparation for the 2019 World Cup has been bubbling along nicely.

2019. It sounds so futuristic, but it’s next year. Next summer is a big one for cricket in this country. A World Cup and the Ashes. The last summer before the shiny new domestic T20 competition. A good time to attract new fans. A good time to win.

Maybe being 2-0 up in the One-Dayers after a 4-0 Ashes drubbing is clouding my judgement, but right now I’d be more confident of England winning the World Cup than regaining the Ashes. That in itself is no bad thing, but there is the sense that this is the future, that English cricket will continue to breed white-ball specialists, that the landscape has shifted, priorities changed.

Test cricket is still said to be the pinnacle, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to scale. It’s hard to be critical of players choosing the IPL over early-season County Championship, and the scheduling of no red-ball cricket in the hea(r)t of the summer is no fault of the players. Nor first-class pitches often being no preparation for Test match cricket.

How is Jason Roy to break into the Test team? How are Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Adil Rashid supposed to prove they are worth persevering with in Test cricket? What of the next generation? There’s no doubting the talent, but that talent is no longer harnessed in the Test arena. It’s not inconceivable to think Haseem Hameed will be the last “proper” Test batsman. There has been a marked divergence in the Test and ODI sides, to the obvious benefit of the ODI side. Meanwhile, the Test team remains a frustrating work in progress, the sense that it could benefit from some of the spirit and personnel of the ODI team.

Who knows, perhaps after next year’s World Cup, and with the advent of a Test Championship, the emphasis will change. Eyes will return to the Test team, but will it be in time for the Ashes? Not too much of a stretch to think that Cook, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad might not be around. Or that, if they can stay fit, Mitchell Starc and co might make hay of whoever makes up the England batting order. Is it too late to move the Ashes back a year? To ensure ideal preparation. It worked last time…