England captain Ben Stokes faces a bowling conundrum as Surrey quick Gus Atkinson joined pace bowler Jofra Archer in the squad for the third Test against India at Lord’s.
England fell to a 336-run defeat in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday, with the tourists levelling the five-match series at 1-1.
The teams now head to Lord’s for the third Test, starting on Thursday, live on Sky Sports as England look to make a comeback from their heavy defeat.
“At 200-5 [on the first day] we were happy but we just weren’t able to blast them open,” Stokes said after his side were dismissed for 271 on the final day having been set an improbable 608 for victory.
“They ended up getting a big first innings total after us having a good start. I think if we’d been able to burst them open when we did have them five down then the game would potentially have played out a little bit differently.
“It’s no secret that we have spent some time in the field and bowled some overs in the first two games so we’ll have to see how everyone pulls up over the next two days. With it being a quick turnaround there probably will be a decision we have to make.”
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England captain Ben Stokes shares his disappointment as his side fell to a heavy defeat to India in the second Test at Edgbaston
England struggled to take wickets on a flat pitch, with India’s captain Shubman Gill scoring 269 in the first innings and 161 in the second, to help his side to their first-ever win at Edgbaston.
India’s batters have racked up 1,849 runs in four innings so far in the series and have celebrated seven centuries along the way, whilst England’s bowlers toiled hard in the second Test, with Josh Tongue (4-212) and Shoaib Bashir (5-286) having the best returns.
England coach Brendon McCullum conceded the decision to bowl first in the match was a mistake.
“I think as the game unfolded we probably looked back on that toss and said, ‘did we miss an opportunity there?’ And it’s probably fair,” McCullum told the BBC.
“We didn’t expect that the wicket would play quite as it did and hence we probably got it slightly wrong.”
The hosts had named an unchanged side for the second Test. They will hope Atkinson, who is coming back from a hamstring injury sustained after England’s win over Zimbabwe in May, can help them regain the lead in the series.
Brydon Carse and Tongue are the likeliest players to stand down after sharing a big workload in the first two games against India.
Whoever is chosen at headquarters, one of the main tasks will be finding a weakness in the armoury of new India captain Gill.
He has now scored 585 runs in the series at an average of 146.25 and is in with a shout of Sir Don Bradman’s magic number of 974 – the most runs ever scored by one batter in a series.
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Michael Atherton, Mark Butcher, Paul Newman and Cameron Ponsonby discuss England’s potential attack in the third Test against India and whether including Jofra Archer is worth the risk
“He’s had some two games, hasn’t he?” Stokes added.
“You’ve got to give your opposition credit when it’s due and for him to bang out as many runs as he has done in this game has been pretty special.
“We’ve had some unbelievable wins and some bad defeats and I feel this team is quite good at staying level throughout those ups and downs.
“We knew coming into the series it wasn’t going to be easy, that there were going to be ebbs and flows because it’s two very good teams. We have to wipe this one under the carpet as quickly as we can because Lord’s day one will be coming round pretty quickly.”
India decided to rest their star fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, for the second Test, and Gill confirmed he will be in the squad at Lord’s.
‘England need Archer – but it’s fingers crossed’
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said a rested Bumrah will be a dangerous prospect at Lord’s, whilst England will have to keep their fingers crossed that Atkinson can perform after a break from the game due to injury.
“We only see Jofra bowling into a mit, we don’t see all of the rehab work that you have to do – it must be soul-destroying, all of the comebacks, the attempted comebacks and the injuries,” Hussain said on Sky Sports Cricket.
“He is going to be back [at Lord’s], but it is a little bit ‘fingers crossed’. The adrenaline of a Test match, especially as a bowler, is different – Stuart Broad will tell you.
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Nasser Hussain reflects on how Jofra Archer would cope for England after a four-year Test match absence, for a side who look to freshen up their attack ahead of the third Test match against India
“We’ve seen bowlers come back and by tea time they’re cramping up and can’t get through their last spell of the day.
“Also, with Mark Wood when he has come back in, he has come back with pace – operating around 90-95mph – but he has been in, out of the side… Jofra has been out for four years.
“That said, England do need something different now, something special, and when he was at his best, he was special.
“[Mohammed] Siraj has history at Lord’s as well, he likes bowling there. I think [Akash] Deep has been a real find.
“He could be useful, then you’ve got all the skills of a rested Bumrah, who will be dangerous.
“The dynamics of the Test have just shifted with India coming back.”
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India’s Mohammed Siraj produced an incredible catch as the visitors closed in victory over England in the second Test
England Men’s Test Squad
Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain
Jofra Archer (Sussex)
Gus Atkinson (Surrey)
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Sam Cook (Essex)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Jamie Overton (Surrey)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Watch day one of the third Test between England and India, at Lord’s, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10am Thursday (11am first ball) or stream without a contract.
England vs India – results and schedule
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports
