England ace pacer Jofra Archer returned to the Test playing XI for the first time in 1596 days. The 30-year-old has suffered several injuries in the last few years, which have put him out of the Test squad for over four years. However, after a complete recovery plan, Archer returned to the squad in the third Test at Lord’s, starting July 10.
Apart from that, the Three Lions have made no changes to their squad. The batting unit disappointed in the second Test, which resulted in a massive 336-run defeat, but despite so, England trusted their unit. The form of captain Ben Stokes and Zak Crawley is under the scanner, after their subpar knocks so far. Veteran Joe Root also needs to prove his value in the middle.
Meanwhile, Archer replaced Josh Tongue in the playing XI. Gus Atkinson, who has a tremendous record at Lord’s, was also expected to play, but the team management held him back and is likely to feature in the fourth Test in Manchester. In that match, Archer is very likely to get a break for the fifth Test at the Oval. However, everything will depend on how the Lord’s game goes.
England Playing XI - Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Shoaib Bashir
England plan for a spicier pitch at Lord’s
After suffering a 336-run defeat against India at Edgbaston, England captain Ben Stokes called out the nature of the surface and noted that he wants a spicier pitch at Lord’s. As things stand, the surface will mostly favour the pacers in the third Test. The return of Archer and Jasprit Bumrah will add new dynamics to both squads as the winner of the match can extend their lead to 2-1 in the five-match series.