Hunt goes on to solve problem position at four

MOEEN ALI was not the only batsman to serve up his wicket to India on a silver thali dish – but his dismissal for 16 on another underwhelming day for England was the latest blow in their attempt to fill the No4 slot.

Most teams usually have a problem position but England have spent much of the year trying to cope with at least two at any one time.

It wasn’t until Joe Root moved up a place against Pakistan in the summer that they dealt with the No3 conundrum. And, given a fair wind, it seems Haseeb Hameed, Alastair Cook’s 10th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, may be the answer at the top of the order.

But No4, a position filled so thrillingly by Kevin Pietersen on England’s last tour of India in 2012-13, stubbornly refuses to provide a home to all those who have knocked at its door.

And there have been a few. If you include Ben Stokes’s second-innings promotion spinners, while Duckett — demoted the innings after a sparkling 56 at Dhaka to make way for Hameed — was devoured by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Who knows what wonders might have been done for Duckett’s confidence had he been given a chance to make merry at No4 before England’s second-innings declaration in Rajkot?

But instead of allowing him a no-lose chance to have some fun and build on his impish brilliance in Dhaka, the brains trust sent in Stokes. It was a careless piece of manmanagement.

Duckett’s double failure in the second Test at Visakhapatnam forced England’s hand, yet they knew in advance that the inclusion of