The Monday letters page is not convinced that physical game sales are dead yet, as one reader discovers the joys of Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Game of the years
We all know what the best-selling game of 2026 is going to be, but will GTA 6 be the most critically acclaimed? It probably will be, just because fans will go crazy against any reviewer that dares to say it’s bad, but somehow I doubt it’ll actually be the best. GTA 5 may have been a phenomenon, but I wouldn’t put it on any kind of best ever list and I can’t see Rockstar changing their approach, including bad combat and racing, because they know what they did last time sells.

So what will the be 2026’s critical darling? The equivalent of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33? Normally it’s hard to say because we don’t know what’s coming out later in the year, but thanks to GTA 6 probably not very much.

Resident Evil Requiem seems like a good contender and maybe Saros if it’s as good as Returnal (I guess, I didn’t play that). But how do you predict the impact of Marvel’s Wolverine, The Duskbloods, Fable, Forza Horizon 6, and Control: Resonant? And what if Valve really do release Half-Life 3 this year?

People have been understandably down about the games industry this year, and I’m sure we’ll all be sick of hearing about GTA 6 soon enough, but there is a lot of interesting stuff on the horizon that could make 2026 a classic year.
Gorf

GTA 6 money
I am very curious as to what Sony and Microsoft are playing at with GTA 6. I would imagine that Microsoft is actually thinking early September for Fable and Gears Of War: E-Day, which shouldn’t be too much trouble. Although you’ve got the obvious problem that people have only got limited money to spend on games, and you can bet neither of those are going to get it over GTA 6.

I guess Microsoft is thinking that most people have already put aside their GTA 6 money but I’m not sure it’s something I’d bet on if I was them. As for Sony… they really do seem like they’re ignoring the problem and putting Wolverine out as their big Christmas game.

Maybe they figure that if there’s literally nothing else out then they can still do well. But this would mean that it’s something like the third time they’ve ignored GTA 6 when talking about games coming out this year. If they do know something that we don’t they’re not being very subtle about hiding it.
Tacle

Stick your neck out
I am fascinated by the idea of the Resident Evil Requiem neck speaker, especially the fact that apparently this is a thing that already exists and wasn’t just made for the game. What on earth benefit would that have above just wearing normal headphones?

I don’t see how it would help with immersion, because the sound would presumably be coming from your shoulders. I’d be very interested to hear from anyone that has used one of these and could explain why it exists. I guess it allows you to hear other things in the room better but isn’t that definitely less immersive?
Campbell

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Retro console
I’ve finally purchased a Switch 2 and have been enjoying playing Mario Kart World with my better half, especially in the tough online Knockout Tour mode.

Surprisingly though, considering the age of the game, my main enjoyment has come from revisiting GoldenEye 007 via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, played with the official N64 wireless controller I purchased. The visuals have been sharpened up, plus it runs at a noticeably higher frame rate (it needed too!). For me it’s by far the first person shooter ever.

Just need to wait a few weeks for the hotly anticipated Resident Evil Requiem now. Hopefully it has a good Mercenaries mode included.
Adams6legend

GC: If it has, they haven’t mentioned it yet.

Northern goodness
Just played through Thanks Goodness You’re Here! as it was free with PlayStation Plus Extra. I don’t think I’ve ever said, ‘What the hell?!’, while laughing incredulously as much before while playing a game.

Always nice to play something a bit different.
Matt (he_who_runs_away – PSN ID)

Touch only
I read the Reader’s Feature with the argument that digitally-downloaded games are better, linked with the demise of GAME.

Well, as most gamers would know, GAME went wrong when they closed as independent shopping units and went in-store with Sports Direct. The gaming section was then normally found right on the top floor, in a corner right at the back. If you are looking for games you don’t want to go traipsing past rows of trainers and tracksuits.

Secondly, GAME is highly overpriced. They want people to stop buying online but charge £10+ more per game compared with online outlets. Plus, there must be a high percentage of gamers that miss the old enjoyment of picking up used game bargains; GAME used to do 3 for £10, for instance. Who remembers those deals? Not every gamer can afford £30-60 for a new game.

And there it is, yes, let’s imagine just a digital download arena for purchasing games. No more bargains then, like Nintendo. Everything will just keep rising in price because gamers will be forced into this only way of purchasing. Buy it at that price or give up gaming near enough, is what we will be told.

Plus, just the general joy of letting your other family members mooch around the shops for an hour or so, looking at clothes while you can have that hour to yourself to look through shelves of bargain games. Games which you can also then sell on again, if you wish, to the delight of another fellow.

Looks like CeX will still be my only place to go now. How long will they last before they too are pushed out by government taxes or corporate muscle? I will enjoy my little weekend jaunts while I can. Long live the physical touch.
Jools

Physical existence
While I agreed with the sentiment of Gannet’s Reader’s Feature, regarding the so-called business of GAME, I completely disagree with what he said about physical games being dead too.

If that was true, why are CeX queues always full of people with second-hand games in hand?

No doubt these very gamers could easily and knowingly not have to tramp out in the UK’s current rainy weather and simply download the game from the comfort of their home.

Regardless of what ‘the industry’ says, physical media will never leave us.

There is a thing (trend?) on TikTok now where people are starting to re-buy DVDs and even CDs because they are fed up of streaming services removing media they’ve prepaid for, and quite rightly so.

A friend of mine has even complained about this, saying certain songs from her Spotify playlists have simply disappeared.

I’ve always seen Spotify as an utterly complete waste of money, as all my music is ripped from my CDs of yore (and some are MP3 files from BandCamp).

I am currently holding off on buying certain games (Marvel Cosmic Invasion being one of them) as I’ll wait for the physical release, as I did with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind.

I just think paying more than £15 for a game you don’t own, and can’t sell or trade if you don’t like it, is crazy.
LeeDappa

The smell of gaming
It is a definite shame about the final GAME shops closing down, although not surprising. It’s still an achievement to have survived as long as they did in the ever-usurping digital world of gaming.

I had many enjoyable conversations with staff members over the years, finding out about games I may not had heard of and getting them from that shop. It was not only at GAME retailers but other local high street gaming shops, where if you know and get on well with a member of staff.

I was not one to exchange games or get a previously purchased second-hand game, as I am one of those folks who likes that cellophane-wrapped brand new game feeling. But I have purchased rare games that you couldn’t get anywhere at all anywhere, as no new versions of these games were being made anymore!

But for me it’s watching new games on their TV screens and being in a shop with like-minded fans of gaming. Also, I miss that sweaty type of smell at some of their locations, which was always very invigorating to breathe in!

It’s that less interaction with our fellow humans that’ll be missed, especially as I work from home! But I do go to places like Waterstones, HMV, hobbyist shops, and city or town markets to support them. I’m hoping the future for these retail businesses will survive in some form or another into the near and far future.
Alucard

Inbox also-rans
Any news on Days Gone 2?
Tony

GC: None at all. At this point it’d be very surprising if it ever happened.

I have Wrestlemaina 21 and is the next gen Xbox played that game.
Barry

GC: Pardon?

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Bethesda overrated as a game developer?

MORE: Games Inbox: What will a post-GTA 6 video games industry be like?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will GTA 6 Trailer 3 be released?

KENNETH Walker and the Seattle Seahawks unleashed chaos on Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

The Patriots had no answers to the Seahawks throughout their 29-13 big game loss at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

New England just never got things going on offense as Maye was sacked a stunning six times.

The second-year star was also strip-sacked by Devon Witherspoon nd Uchenna Nwosu returned it for a touchdown.

And the Patriots defense couldn’t stop Kenneth Walker, who finished with 131 yards.

Walker averaged 5.9 yards per attempt and recorded two receptions for 26 yards.

Sam Darnold didn’t need to be on his A or B game to help Seattle come up with the win.

The 28-year-old completed 19 of 38 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown.

But Darnold didn’t commit a turnover as he didn’t throw an interception or fumble throughout the postseason.

The Seahawks controlled the game on defense.

They didn’t allow a single point in the first three quarters of the game.

However, Seattle also didn’t score a touchdown in the first 45 minutes.

But they finally saw AJ Barner record a touchdown reception.

The teenager was killed on Thursday, February 6 and four people will appear in court on Monday, February 9 after being charged with his murder

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Four people have been charged with murder after the death of a teenager in a South Wales village.

Three men aged 18, 24 and 26 and a 24-year-old woman were remanded into custody over the killing of Tristan Shae Kerr. They will appear at Newport Magistrates’ Court on Monday, February 9, Gwent Police said.

Police said a 28-year-old woman from Hereford, who was arrested on Friday, February 6 on suspicion of assisting an offender, was released under investigation.

Officers attended a property in Lower Francis Street, Abertridwr, Caerphilly, at about 5.45pm on Thursday, February 5 after receiving reports that 17-year-old Tristan had been attacked.

The teen was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We understand that there has been a great deal of interest in this investigation, however we would ask people not to speculate about the identities of those involved,” Detective Chief Inspector Jitka Tomkova-Griffiths said.

Detective Tomkova-Griffith asked anyone with information to speak to officers or contact the force.

The force can be contacted on 101, by direct message on social media or on the website, quoting log reference 2600038325.

Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The new stores will be opened in 2026 and details of where they will be built have been disclosed

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A major chain is opening many new stores across the UK, it has announced. Health and beauty chain Superdrug has revealed plans to open 30 new stores this year, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to the UK retail sector. The retailer said the expansion of its store footprint will create around 600 jobs across the UK.

The Croydon-based business, which was founded in 1964, currently runs more than 780 shops across the UK and Ireland. Bosses at the retailer said the plans for further openings come on the back of “strong customer demand” in its stores.

Superdrug said it will continue to invest particularly in “large-format destination stores and retail park locations”. It confirmed that new sites include:

Scotland

• Dundee Gallagher Retail Park,
• Kilmarnock Retail Park,
• East Kilbride,
• Strathkelvin Retail Park
• Linwood Phoenix Retail Park

England

• White Rose Leeds,
• Crawley,
• Waterlooville Retail Park,
• Newport Retail Park,
• Isle of Wight in England

Wales

• Cwmbran Retail Park in Wales

Shoppers will be able to buy new beauty products and treatments such as ear piercing, manicures and eyebrow threading at Superdrug Beauty Studios, the group added. The retail chain also said it plans to complete 60 store refits during the year as it commits “significant investment” across its estate of site.

Clare Jennings, Superdrug’s property director, said: “Superdrug continues to see strong demand for physical, experience-led retail, and our 2026 store opening programme is a clear vote of confidence in UK bricks and mortar retail. By opening 30 stores, we’re not just increasing our footprint, we’re creating destinations that bring together beauty, healthcare and affordable treatments under one roof.

“Our customers want more than convenience, they want expertise, products and services they can trust, delivered in welcoming spaces within their local communities. This investment allows us to bring bigger, better Superdrug stores to more locations across the UK, unlocking more access to healthcare, beauty products and treatments, while creating hundreds of new jobs and long-term career opportunities for our colleagues.”

The DWP has confirmed that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will rise by 3.8 per cent in the 2026/27 financial year – here are the new weekly payment rates

The Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) has announced that disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance will rise by 3.8 per cent for the 2026/27 financial year. The updated weekly payment rates will take effect from April 6, 2026.

PIP is presently valued at between £29.20 and £187.45 per week, with payments typically made every four weeks which translates to awards ranging from £116.80 to £749.80. A 3.8 per cent uplift will see payments increase to between £30.30 and £194.60, equating to £121.20 and £778.40 every four-week payment period.

The Scottish Government has also announced that devolved benefits such as Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Child Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), Carer Support Payment and Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance will similarly increase by 3.8 per cent in April.

PIP payment rates 2026/27

PIP comprises two components – daily living and mobility. From Monday, April 6, PIP will be paid at the following weekly amounts, reports the Daily Record.

Daily Living component

• Enhanced: £114.60 (from £110.40)
• Standard: £76.70 (from £73.90)

Mobility component

• Enhanced: £80.00 (from £77.05)
• Standard: £30.30 (from £29.20)

PIP payment combinations 2026/27

Those receiving PIP may be granted the lower rate of one or both elements, the higher rate of one or both elements, or a combination of the lower or higher rates of each component.

Before April, the DWP will send letters to all claimants outlining their updated payment rates.

There are eight potential awards, which are outlined below.

Single component award only

You might receive either the lower or higher daily living or mobility component:

• Standard daily living only – £76.70 per week, £306.80 per pay period
• Enhanced daily living only – £114.60 per week, £458.40 per pay period
• Standard mobility only – £30.30 per week, £121.20 per pay period
• Enhanced mobility only – £80.00 per week, £320.00 per pay period

Lower rate for daily living and mobility

If you’re receiving the lower rates of both components, your new payments are projected to be:

• Standard daily living and standard mobility – £107 per week, £428 per pay period

Higher rate for daily living and mobility

If you’re receiving the higher rates of both components, your new payments are projected to be:

• Enhanced daily living and enhanced mobility – £194.60 per week, £778.40 per pay period

Lower rate of one component and higher rate of the other

If you’re receiving the lower rate of one component and the higher rate of the other, your new payments are projected to be:

• Standard daily living and enhanced mobility – £156.70 per week, £626.80 per pay period
• Enhanced daily living and standard mobility – £144.90 per week, £579.60 per pay period

Bear in mind, PIP and all disability benefits are exempt from tax and don’t impact the benefit cap.

Forestry England is hosting a programme of activities as part of the North East Dark Skies Festival.

Kielder Forest, which is celebrating its centenary in 2026, is taking part with a Dark Sky Run on March 7 and 8, designed to blend endurance sport with the wonders of the night sky.

Forestry England is encouraging visitors to turn their evening into a night away. 

In the Northumberland forest, options include Kielder Castle motorhome stays and Kielder Village camping and caravan site.

However you cut it, this is a one-woman story.

Sanae Takaichi has landed a mandate, a landslide so decisive that just a few months ago it would barely have been believed.

And it could well change Japan and this region.

When she assumed the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in October, following the resignation of her unpopular predecessor, the government she inherited was floundering; losing seats, losing trust and struggling to recover from a financial scandal.

In just four months, she’s managed to turn this into a supermajority, winning more seats than her party ever has since it was founded in the 1950s.

Alongside her coalition partner, she now has the numbers to not only change the constitution but override any challenge from the consultative upper house of Japan‘s National Diet.

It is, in essence, a carte blanche for her to see through her vision.

And see it through, she almost certainly will.

Indeed, many people we spoke to here cited her straight talking, consistent and “get-it-done” approach as being one of her biggest attractions.

“I think Japan will get better and better,” smiled one man enthusiastically at an LDP candidate’s watch party.

But Takaichi also comes with clear convictions about what it is she stands for and what she wants to achieve.

Indeed, behind the drum-playing, selfie-taking and motorbike-riding force that has undoubtedly livened up a normally pretty dry political scene, she has an ultra conservative vision and a resolutely nationalist outlook.

Among the changes she is most likely to make are increasing Japan’s defence spending and altering the constitution to explicitly recognise its armed forces.

Read more:
Japan’s China-provoking PM raises the stakes
Can Japan’s first female PM tighten her grip on power?

This is controversial, as officially Japan is still a pacifist country whose forces are only meant to defend.

But support for these changes seems remarkably broad, even among younger voters.

Indeed, at a gathering of students watching the results together in Tokyo, the idea that Japan should be more confident, even assertive, was clearly a motivating factor, a sense, perhaps, that post-war apologism is now somewhat outdated.

“She used the catchphrase ‘strong and prosperous Japan’, and until now Japan’s prime ministers had not taken such a clear stance on national defence”, says one young woman.

“By using the word ‘strong’, I feel like it kind of broke through that sense of stagnation and cleared it away.”

But be in no doubt, China is watching, and it does not like what it sees.

Aside from having suffered enormously under Japanese aggression during the Second World War, Takaichi has also made comments about the so-called Taiwan question that China finds deeply provoking.

The result has been a plunge in relations to their lowest ebb in over a decade.

Her victory will do nothing to fix that.

In the end, there could hardly have been a more decisive endorsement of everything Takaichi stands for: her conservatism, her nationalism, her vision for a more confident, more militarised Japan.

It matters not just because of what it says about changing sentiments here – a notable shift to the right – but also because of what it might mean for the stability of this region.

Republican congressman Tim Burchett is going viral for telling a strange story about his old pet rabbit after being asked about Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny.

“Dude, I wouldn’t know if Bad Bunny walked up here and asked me if he could borrow my cell phone,” the Tennessee rep told a TMZ reporter in Washington in a video released on Saturday. “I really don’t know who he is.”

Burchett proceeded to tell the story of his own “bad bunny,” a Flemish giant rabbit named Flop, mating with another Flemish rabbit called Caramel.

“Put ‘em together, phew, it’s true what they say about rabbits,” Burchett continued. “My nephew was like, ‘Uncle Tim, what’s Flop doing to Caramel?’ And I [said], “Go back in the house, dude. It’s not my job to give the sex talk here.”

“And then about a week later, Flop died of a heart attack, so what do you know?” Burchett concluded with a chuckle. “I guess he died doing what he loved.”

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The video spread widely online, eliciting a mix of laughter and mild concern.

“Some of y’all ain’t ever been around old southern men and it shows,” Twitch streamer Jordan Powell wrote on X. “Felt like I was listening to an uncle.”

Writer Brandon Streussnig, in a presumably satirical X post of his own, wrote that it “rocks how most of our sitting government is just always sundowning in public and we gotta just deal with it.”

While Burchett’s antics around the Super Bowl performance were light-hearted, if strange, many of his MAGA contemporaries are furious about the selection of Bad Bunny.

The Puerto Rican superstar, real name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, sings mostly in Spanish and has criticized the Trump administration’s deportation crackdown.

During a recent Grammys acceptance speech, Ocasio lauded immigrants who pursued their dreams and called for an end to mass ICE raids.

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“Hate gets more powerful with more hate,” he said. “The only thing that’s more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them. We love our people. We love our family and there’s a way to do it, with love, and don’t forget that.”

Last year, following an ICE raid in Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny called immigration agents involved “motherf***ers” and “sons of b****es.”

The conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA is hosting what it calls its own “All-American Halftime Show” featuring Kid Rock.

When Ocasio’s selection was announced, conservatives raged at the choice, with President Trump calling it “crazy” and “ridiculous.”

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, meanwhile, threatened to station ICE agents outside the Super Bowl.

The Puerto Rican singer has at times made light of the opposition to his upcoming performance, telling viewers when he hosted Saturday Night Live last year that they had a few months to learn Spanish before his performance.

Bad Bunny has said concerns about immigration raids factored into his decision not to tour the mainland U.S. and instead do a residency in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.

Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, who will also perform during the Super Bowl, called on ICE agents to quit their jobs and warned Trump would “drop them” during a weekend concert in the lead-up to the big game.

“This goes out to all the ICE agents, wherever you are,” Armstrong said at a FanDuel and Spotify party in San Francisco on Friday night. “Quit your s***ty ass job. Quit that s***ty job you have. Because when this is over, and it will be over at some point in time, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, JD Vance, Donald Trump — they’re gonna drop you like a bad f***ing habit.”

Vonn was airlifted to a clinic in Cortina and has since been transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso

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Lindsey Vonn has undergone surgery after her Olympic comeback ended with her being airlifted to hospital with a broken leg following a crash in the women’s downhill in Cortina.

The American had damaged her ACL when falling in a World Cup race at Crans-Montana just over a week ago but still lined up in Sunday’s event at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre.

Racing as the 13th skier, Vonn clipped a gate just seconds into her run and somersaulted off the course, remaining on the ground for a prolonged period before a helicopter whisked her to hospital.

In an update on X, the US Ski and Snowboard Team said: “Lindsey Vonn sustained an injury, but is in stable condition and in good hands with a team of American and Italian physicians.”

Vonn was airlifted to a clinic in Cortina and has since been transferred to a larger hospital in Treviso.

In a statement, quoted on olympics.com on Sunday evening, Ca’ Foncello Hospital confirmed the 41-year-old “underwent orthopedic surgery to stabilise a fracture in her left leg”.

The Cortina crowd had raised a huge cheer as Vonn pushed out of the gate but fell almost silent as she crashed out, before again applauding her off the mountain as the helicopter passed overhead.

Vonn’s team-mate and reigning world champion Breezy Johnson took the title, becoming the first American woman to win the event since Vonn’s triumph in Vancouver in 2010.

Johnson said: “The work that we put in, the careers, my heart aches for her. It’s a tough road, and it’s a tough sport.

“That’s the beauty and the madness of it, that it can hurt you so badly, but you keep coming back for more.

“I don’t have anything except that her coach said she was cheering for me in the helicopter. I hope for the best for her. I hope that it’s not too bad. My heart aches for her. It’s such a brutal sport sometimes.”

Of following Vonn as an American champion, Johnson added: “It’s crazy, because downhill is, in my opinion, the premier event of Alpine skiing, and to win a gold medal in it as an American is very surreal.

“Lindsey has accomplished so much, and will always live in a different echelon than I do, but to have your name alongside her is really something special.”

Vonn initially retired from the sport in 2019 due to injury but, after undergoing a partial knee replacement in April 2024, she returned to competition in December that year and had won two World Cup events this season before her fall in Switzerland.

She had successfully completed two practice runs on the course on Friday and Saturday, wearing a brace on her injured knee, and her coach Aksel Lund Svindal felt she was in “good enough” condition to challenge for a medal.

Another team-mate, fourth-placed Jacqueline Wiles, said: “Watching Lindsey go down from the start was pretty awful.

“We have such a sisterhood. We travel with each other on the road. We’re a family. To watch someone that you care about so much, it sucks.

“My heart broke for her in that moment, but that is the inherent risk of the sport.”

The fourth member of the US team, Isabella Wright added: “You don’t want that for anyone and you especially don’t want it for your team-mate and for Lindsey.

“I always say this, ‘if anyone can do it, it’s Lindsey’. Whatever it is, or whatever the situation, she’s very strong. We’re going to support her the best we can.”

Brook gave a hint at England locating their senses when he spoke to the media on Friday.

He recalled Liam Dawson – another crucial part of this win with his 2-21 aged 35 – in his first move as captain last year.

“You look at India’s side, and they’re one of the best sides to play T20 cricket at the minute, and they’ve got about five spinners,” said Brook. “If they’re doing that, why don’t we have a little bit of a crack at that as well?”

He later backtracked, appearing to be wary of the implications of appearing to imitate India, but would it be so bad if England were?

It was a diversion from previous messaging of always concentrating on themselves.

Brook would probably tell you it is those conversations – dealing with the media and finding the right words – that is the hardest part of captaincy.

If it was only about the what goes on a cut strip of 22 yards or the green grass around it, there would be no discussion over his future.

On the field, he has impressed as a young captain and here, not without frights, he came through his toughest test so far.

England have often looked leaderless in the field during their sorry recent run at white-ball tournaments – a spell in which they have given up their T20 and 50-over world titles and exited the Champions Trophy without winning – but at the crunch moment here there was little doubt who was in charge.

He may not have played under him, but Brook referred to the Eoin Morgan book of captaincy by repeatedly holding the ball at the top of a bowler’s mark, giving the heart-rate of his player time to settle.

He also led the conversation in the drinks break late in Nepal’s chase, after which they lost two quick wickets.

“He was very good at keeping level headed,” admitted Jacks.

“Jos [Buttler] spoke as well and those experienced guys are crucial when those pressure situations come around.”

Of course, the caveat remains that with one swing of the bat, one flash off an edge, the story would all have been different.

Nepal were hugely impressive, but are still 16th in the world rankings.

Tougher tests will come but England teams have crumbled in pressure moments while carrying far less baggage than this one.

There are just hints, that they may be learning.