On July 6, England lost the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against India by 336 runs at Edgbaston. In response, they have made a quick alteration to their roster, adding fast bowler Gus Atkinson ahead of the third Test at Lord’s.
Gus Atkinson, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury incurred during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May, is totally recovered.
He is anticipated to be considered for selection in the third match of the ICC World Test Championship, which begins on Thursday at Lord’s.
Just hours after losing in Birmingham, the hosts revealed a 16-man lineup for the forthcoming Test match. England captain Ben Stokes hinted at potential changes, emphasising the need of bouncing back strongly in the ongoing series.
“It’s no secret that we’ve spent some time on the field and bowled some overs in the first two games, and we’ll have to see how everyone performs over the next two days. Given the fast turnaround, we will most likely have to make a judgement based on how everyone pulls up after this game. “Everyone is under consideration for the Lord’s game,” Stokes told the ICC.
England may also call up fellow pacer Jofra Archer for the important match, while promising batter Jacob Bethell is being considered to reinforce the top six. With the five-match series currently tied at 1-1, Stokes has urged his colleagues to move on from their defeat in Birmingham and focus on the rest of the series.
“We’ve clearly had some incredible victories and some awful losses. I believe I, and the team, are doing a fantastic job of staying level during those ups and downs. This is crucial in a series where we anticipated difficulty.
We need to get this one out of the way as soon as possible because Lord’s Day is swiftly approaching. We’ll have one or two days to get the bodies right and heal, and then we’ll be out there flipping the coin,” Stokes said.
England squad for third Test:
Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.
India
