Follow UsEngland announced an unchanged playing XI for the second Test against India at Edgbaston, Birmingham, starting on July 2 (Wednesday). Jofra Archer, who was added to the squad after the first Test at Headingley, has been left out of the XI.
In what was arguably the most significant development in English cricket in recent times, Archer returned to England’s red-ball set-up for the first time in four years and looked set to feature in the second encounter.
The right-arm pacer made his red-ball return with Sussex in a County Championship clash against Durham, getting a solid workload under his belt and returning figures of 18-8-32-1. Archer last played a Test for England in February 2021, incidentally against India.
However, England have resisted the temptation to play him straightaway and have opted to retain the same set of players that helped them secure a five-wicket win in the first Test.
Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue will once again form England’s pace unit alongside skipper Ben Stokes, with Shoaib Bashir as the sole spinner.
There was pressure on Ollie Pope, but the No. 3 batter responded with a stunning hundred in the first Test, which will keep Jacob Bethell out of the XI for the time being.