The England cricket team hasn't won the opening game of a Test series since November 2018 away to Sri Lanka. Discounting the standalone match with neighbours Ireland, they have started their last five other series in this form of the game on the back foot.
It is a bad habit and one which played a part in them failing to regain The Ashes at home to Australia last summer. That most intense of rivalries over sport's smallest trophy ended up in a draw and the famous urn retained by the team from Down Under.
Prior to the last Ashes series, England lost their opener away to the West Indies, when they infamously skittled out for a first innings total of just 77 in the Caribbean. There was worse to come. Tail-ender Jason Holder made an unbeaten double century for the Windies and Roston Chase took 8-60 as the hosts won by 381 runs.
A big Australian second innings total in The Ashes opener courtesy of Steve Smith and Matthew Wade both making over 100 saw England bowled out for just 146 in reply. The visitors won by 251 runs with Nathan Lyon taking 6-49 with the ball.
When touring New Zealand over last winter, England slumped to a massive innings and 65 runs defeat in the first Test. The hosts made a massive total of 615 with wicketkeeper BJ Watling scoring a double century and a hundred from Mitchell Santner. Neil Wagner then recorded figures of 5-44.
In South Africa, England put over 100 runs fewer on the board in their first innings of the Boxing Day Test. It left them playing catchup to the Proteas and, while they went on to win this series, it was wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock with a score of 95 that hampered them.
There are many similarities between these opening Tests and what happened in England's most recent first game of a series. They started as long odds-on favourites with bookmakers to beat the West Indies, but again made more than 100 runs fewer than the opposition in the first innings.
Holder was in top bowling form with career-best figures of 6-42 tearing through the home team. Thanks to 5-75 from Shannon Gabriel, England only set the Windies 200 to win which they got largely thanks to a score of 95 from Jermaine Blackwood.
As online betting on cricket increases around major events like Test series, it has paid to side against England rather than with them for almost two years now. Most are still expecting Australia to win the Ashes in the 20/21 series. There are some worrying common threads to take from all of this, and England continues to face strong competition.
It's not opening batsmen that are causing England the most problems. More often than not, it is players halfway down the order - Smith batting fourth, and Watling, De Kock and Blackwood all at six - that the bowlers are having far greater trouble removing from the crease.
England have also come up against inspired bowling performances exposing their own weaknesses with the bat. Their own middle order is far from settled, and it doesn't seem as though players are raising their game quite like the opposition has managed to in opening Tests.
