Credit: England Cricket
England faced a crushing defeat against India in the second Test, played at Edgbaston. Ben Stokes and his men registered a comprehensive 336-run loss to the visitors and now the series is leveled by a 1-1 figure. In the second game, England were completely outclassed by Team India, who were disciplined in all departments of the game. England failed to stop India skipper Shubman Gill, who led his side from the front and produced spectacular knocks (269 and 161) from his bat. England’s bowlers looked completely ineffective at Edgbaston while their batters couldn’t handle pressure while following the colossal scores in both innings. However, forgetting their previous failures, the hosts will look to make a solid comeback in the third Test, set to be played at the iconic Lord’s. Ahead of the crucial game, SportsTiger has come up with England’s probable XI for the third match.
Here is England’s probable XI for the third Test
Openers: Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett
England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett looked completely out of rhythm in the second game but they will endeavour to deliver a fine start to their side in the important contest. In the opening Test played in Leeds, Duckett played an instrumental role in England’s win by five wickets.
Middle-order batters: Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook and Jamie Smith (wk)
Ollie Pope will be expected to regain his form and come heavily on Team India batters while veteran Joe Root will also have to utilise his experience and prowess to deliver fine innings to his side at the iconic venue. Harry Brook and Jamie Smith did their jobs exceptionally in the second match and they will look to continue their brilliant batting form.
All-rounders: Ben Stokes (c) and Chris Woakes
England skipper Ben Stokes will strive to replicate his first Test’s bowling performance to help his side give a tough time to the visitors. Stokes struggled to be fine with both bat and ball at Edgbaston. Chris Woakes, who is the most-experienced player in the current side, has to justify his role as a bowling all-rounder. As a bowler, he will have to make a crucial contribution to the side while donning the role of the lower-order batter, he is required to be effective in the crunch situation.
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, and Shoaib Bashir
Jofra Archer, who played his last Test in February 2021, is highly likely to make a comeback and spearhead England’s bowling attack in the third game. He can replace Brydon Carse, who couldn’t perform upto the mark at Edgbaston. Allying with Josh Tongue and Woakes, he will look to form a formidable fast-bowling trio against Shubman Gill and his men. Shoaib Bashir will have to deliver his best as spinner in the squad.
