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England Probable 11 For 4th Test: Two Fresh Faces Set To Play At Old Trafford
Follow UsShoaib Bashir will miss the fourth Test having sustained a finger injury
Despite finding themselves being dominated by India for large parts of the series, England are 2-1 up in the series heading into the fourth Test at Old Trafford. The English Bazballers have not been quite at their best in this series so far, but they’ve seized the opportunity when it has presented itself, and have made India pay for every mistake.
The hosts will be hoping for an improved performance in the fourth Test, with a good performance at Old Trafford enough for them to seal the series. Now, England got Jofra Archer back for the Lord’s and that proved to be match-defining. The good news is that they are set to field two more fresh faces at Old Trafford.
Gus Atkinson, Liam Dawson to come straight into the XI
Gus Atkinson was with the England squad for the Lord’s Test, but the management did not want to risk him early. But with him now having had sufficient time to recover, expect the right-arm seamer to walk straight into the starting XI. Along with Atkinson, Liam Dawson is a certainty to play, with Shoaib Bashir out injured. This will likely be Dawson’s first Test in over 8 years.
Who makes way is the question. With Dawson being a very solid batter (apart from being a left-arm spinner), he will bat at No.8, which means England can afford to leave out Chris Woakes, who has been disappointing in this series so far. Atkinson will slot in at No.9 with Carse and Archer being 10 and 11.
England would have ideally wanted to rest one of Carse or Archer, but the series is on the line, and there has been an eight-day gap to recover fully. Expect the top seven to stay the same.
England Probable 11 For 4th Test at Old Trafford
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer