Hosts England staged a perfect turnaround against Pakistan in the opening game of the three-match Test series at Old Trafford in Manchester. The action now moves to the Ageas Bowl at Southampton which will host the remaining two games of the series.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the 14-member squad on Wednesday which will take on the visitors, starting Thursday, August 13.
Due to personal reasons, England’s marquee all-rounder Ben Stokes pulled himself out of the remaining matches of the series, citing personal reasons. ECB replaced Stokes with fast-bowler Ollie Robinson.
The rest of the lineup remains unchained for the ‘Three Lions’, who lead the series by 1-0. In the series opener, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler’s heroics with the bat steered the hosts to a 3-wicket win.
Earlier, Pakistan set a target of 277 in front of England. They reduced the home team at 117/5 before the counterattacking partnership between Woakes (84*) and Buttler (75) took the game away from the tourists. The two added 139 precious runs for the sixth wicket.
Here’s England squad for the second Test:
Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have their backs to the wall to make a comeback in the series. The Green Caps were in the driving seat almost throughout the entirety of the first innings of the Old Trafford Test match.
Pakistan’s cricketing fraternity criticized the team for losing the game, even after bagging a handy lead of 107 runs in the first innings.
England also won the preceding three-match series against West Indies, which marked the return of international cricketing action, post prolonged COVID-19 hiatus.
