England Announce Playing XI for 2nd Test vs India at Edgbaston; No Jofra Archer Yet Again
The England Cricket Board (ECB) has announced an unchanged playing XI for the second Test against India, set to begin on July 2 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. They’re 1-0 up in the five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series and clearly happy with the squad that delivered in the first game. Although Jofra Archer was added to the squad after recovering from a finger injury, he didn’t make the final XI as his arrival was delayed due to a family emergency. So, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and Chris Woakes will continue to lead England’s pace attack.
"Men's fast bowler Jofra Archer will not be joining the England Test squad for today's training session at Edgbaston, Monday 30 June, due to a family emergency. He is expected to rejoin the squad tomorrow, Tuesday," the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) said on Monday.
Despite missing top fast bowlers like Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, and Olly Stone, England still managed to take a 1-0 lead in the Test series against India. Now, with Archer back in the squad after playing a first-class match for the first time in four years, there’s a big decision to make. He bowled just 18 overs for Surrey, and while everyone knows what he’s capable of, it’s still a tough call should England bring him in straight away, or give him more time to get fully match-ready?
England Rest Jofra Archer for Second Test, Focused on Ashes Fitness
No, Jofra Archer won’t play the second Test at Edgbaston as England have kept the same team from the first match. Even though Archer is one of their best bowlers, he hasn’t played much recently, and the team may feel he’s not fully match-fit yet. Some people feel he should have played a few County games to get ready. But England might be looking at the bigger picture they want him to be fully fit for the Ashes later this year in Australia. Since this is their last Test series before that, they’re being careful with his return.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir bowled well in the first match, delivering 49 overs and doing a solid job. Brydon Carse picked up 4 wickets and impressed with his pace, while Chris Woakes didn’t get many wickets but made an important 38 runs with the bat. Josh Tongue was England’s best bowler in the first Test, taking 7 wickets and doing a great job cleaning up India’s lower order with his bounce and pace.
England Playing XI – 2nd Test vs India at Edgbaston, Birmingham
| No. | Player Name | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zak Crawley | Batter |
| 2 | Ben Duckett | Batter |
| 3 | Ollie Pope | Batter |
| 4 | Joe Root | Batter |
| 5 | Harry Brook | Batter |
| 6 | Jamie Smith | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| 7 | Ben Stokes (c) | All-rounder |
| 8 | Chris Woakes | All-rounder |
| 9 | Brydon Carse | Fast Bowler |
| 10 | Shoaib Bashir | Spinner |
| 11 | Josh Tongue | Fast Bowler |