Jofra Archer in County Cricket (Source: @ESPNcricinfo/X.com)
England have announced an unchanged playing XI for the second Test against India at Edgbaston. Jofra Archer who was expected to make his long awaited Test comeback would have to wait a little more as he had to leave the squad due to a family emergency.
The pacer recently proved his fitness by bowling 18 overs in a County game for Sussex and was expected to replace Josh Tongue in the XI. However, Tongue now has another chance to prove his credentials when England take on India in the second Test starting from July 2.
England's Batting Sorted; Seek Bowling Improvement
The Ben Stokes-led England team won the first game by five wickets courtesy of their brilliant run-chase in Headingley. Almost all their batters scored runs, and with two of their top-three scoring centuries, the home team do not have a lot of worries in the batting department.
The likes of Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Harry Brook also scored fifties in the first match. Captain Ben Stokes, though, failed to contribute with the bat, and England management would be looking for bigger contributions from their lower middle order.
The performance of the bowling group will be in focus, though, which looked effective for a large part of the first Test. Chris Woakes, who has a great record in home conditions, could bag only one wicket, while the spinner, Shoaib Bashir, also leaked a lot of runs.
The Edgbaston pitch is likely to provide more assistance for the spinners. Thus, England would be hoping for more penetration from their offie, who is likely to get help from newly appointed bowling consultant Moeen Ali. The home team have taken an important lead in the series and one more win would put them in a great position to seal the deal.
England's Playing XI vs India For 2nd Test
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (WK), Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse , Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
 "Aashay Chopade")
