(Cricket news) England lost the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston by just 2 wickets. The match was a close one but the result was disappointing because England were on top for the majority of the game. Now going into the 2nd Test, England have a couple of tough selection calls to make. The 2nd Test will be at Lord’s where the conditions are likely to be different.
The Edgbaston pitch was very flat while the overhead conditions were also sunny. There was very little lateral movement for the seamers while there wasn’t much spin either. At Lord’s, there will be a little more help for the bowlers so England may want to rethink their playing XI.
The biggest issue for England is with regard to the spinner. Jack Leach’s injury was a very loss for England as he has been their primary spinner for the past year or so. Instead of picking someone who had been performing in County cricket, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum decided to lure Moeen Ali out of retirement.
The decision was a controversial one as Moeen hadn’t played any red-ball cricket for a long time. At Edgbaston, Moeen Ali did pick up 3 crucial wickets across both innings but he was very inconsistent and leaked a lot of runs. On top of that, his finger was swollen for the majority of the match so he may be dropped.
There is no other spinner in the squad, so England will have to call up another one like Liam Dawson or Will Jacks. The other option is to bring in another fast bowler and use Joe Root as a spinner. Root has been decent with the ball whenever given the opportunity. England’s attack lacks that extra pace that Mark Wood will provide if he does come in.
That will also mean that Ben Stokes will not be needed with the ball. The other selection issue is that of Jonny Bairstow. With the bat he is undroppable but his wicketkeeping was below par. England may want to bring in a wicketkeeper who will not make as many mistakes behind the stumps which means that Harry Brook may have to sit out.
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