International cricket resumed last week after a long gap of four months when the hosts England took on the West Indies on Southampton. England who was without the services of their permanent captain Joe Root took the field under the leadership of star all-rounder Ben Stokes and suffered a heartfelt loss to the visitors. With the second Test all set to get underway on Thursday at Manchester, both the teams are expected to make a number of changes to their playing XI, to stamp their authority in the three-match Test series.
Here we look at the possible playing XIs for both England and West Indies for the 2nd Test match.
The England cricket team under Ben Stokes exhibited a below-average performance compared to their visitors in the first Test. With their permanent captain Joe Root expected to make a return to the playing eleven for the Manchester Test, England would look like a completely different team. More than Joe Root- the captain, England missed the services of a rock-solid number four batsman in Joe Root.
But who will make way for Joe Root? Ahead of the first match, young Kent batsman Zak Crawley was expected to be the man who would make his way for his captain, once he returns. But contrary to the expectations, Zak exhibited notable performance scoring a much needed 76 in the second innings. This has put the position of experienced Joe Denly in doubt. Despite constant backing from the management and handful of chances, Denly hasn’t been able to provide a noteworthy performance so far. He, who averages just below 30 is expected to get the ax on the lead up to the 2nd Test.
Another player whose position is in doubt is England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler. Despite being a big name in white-ball cricket, Buttler hasn’t been able to quite make his mark felt in the longest format of the game. He has just one century in the 42 matches he has played so far. With Ben Foakes waiting in the wings, this would come in as the last chance for Buttler to make an impact in red-ball cricket.
Despite England’s poor show with the bat, the much focus will be on whether veteran fast bowler Stuart Broad would make his return or not. Even though the England coach Chris Silverwood hinted that Broad is not a sure shot choice in the playing eleven, below-par performances of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer would possibly force the management to opt for the experience of Broad ahead of the series decider.
Wood and Archer got the edge over the experienced Broad due to their extra pace, which was expected to pay huge dividends in the Ageas Bowl. This move, which backfired England will open the possibilities for Broad’s return to the playing XI.
England Predicted XI:
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West Indies, on the other hand, has very little selection headaches. There were at their best of form in Southampton. After the match, Captain Jason Holder opined that it is by far the best effort he’s seen from this group. The Windies team showed much-needed discipline and patience that was lacking in the rest of their Test squads in the 21st century.
Holder & Co. will enter the Old Trafford with an upper-hand over the hosts, as the whole of West Indies team’s practice session before the series happened at this venue. Moreover, they now have the opportunity to win a Test series in England; a feat that no West Indian team has achieved since 1988, and no other side has achieved ever since Sri Lanka did it in 2014.
As far as the playing eleven is considered, Holder is expected to carry on with the winning combination. The only worry will be regarding the injury of the opener John Campbell. He was seen limping off the ground after receiving a toe crushing yorker from Jofra Archer. But to the relief of West Indies fans, he came back to bat after Blackwood was dismissed. If he is fit, he is expected to start in the eleven. Otherwise, Holder will be forced to push Shai Hope to the opening slot to bring in Rahkeem Cornwall as the replacement.
In the bowling department, Holder is likely to persist with Alzarri Joseph despite his inconsistent performances owing to the quicker nature of the Manchester pitch.
West Indies predicted XI:
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Pitch Report:
The pitch in Manchester is expected to be a lot quicker than the one in Southampton and is an ideal surface for batting first. In the past five Tests played in this venue, the average first-innings score calculates to a whopping 425.4. Moreover, as per the stats of the last 10 years, teams batting first have gone onto win the Test match in this venue in two out of every three occasions. So, win the toss and bat first would be the mantra for both the Captains as they head to Manchester.
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