"We need to get him to move through the gears and not pot-shot. I believe he will take to it really well. And it was Aspinall who started fast, forging an early 3-1 advantage before Van Gerwen turned the tide with a superb 11-dart leg. It kept the three-time world champion in touching distance and added two more legs to open up a 4-3 lead. While it was a difficult end to the tournament for Jordan, Liam Livingstone further enhanced his reputation with an impressive all-round display, hitting a quickfire 17 with the bat before taking 2-22 with the ball to put England in a strong position. The difference this time, of course, is that they came into it having put their early-season injury crisis behind them and embarked on a run of 10 games unbeaten in all competitions. The mood had been transformed. Angst had made way for optimism.