The Three Lions made as many as four changes from the squad that drew at Manchester.
Hosts England announced their playing XI for the final Test of the five-match series against India at the Oval, slated to start from July 31. Interestingly, the Three Lions made as many as four changes from the squad that drew at Manchester, with the most notable exclusions being skipper Ben Stokes and ace speedster Jofra Archer. Apart from the star duo, spinner Liam Dawson and fast bowler Brydon Carse will also miss the contest.
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Pakistan beat West Indies by 14 runs
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England have brought in the young and talented Jacob Bethell, with the three other changes being in the bowling department – Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue. Notably, England are currently leading 1-2 and a win or a draw in London will help them wrap up the series successfully.
It is understood that Stokes will be out of the tie after suffering a grade three muscle tear in his right shoulder with Ollie Pope taking over the captaincy reins.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Stokes confirmed, “Disappointed to not finish the series. I have a decent tear in the muscle I can’t pronounce. Will start rehabing now for the winter.”
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The dynamic all-rounder sustained a shoulder injury after taking over an incredible workload which saw him bowling lengthy spells throughout the series. While he won two Man of the Match Awards out of the four games so far, he has bowled the second-most number of overs by English pacers with a tally of 140 overs.
It was during another of his spells in the fourth Test where India batted for 143 overs across five sessions, Stokes bowled a total of 35 overs across both innings and was seen clutching his right shoulder during the effort. The England captain is currently the highest wicket-taker in the series with 17 scalps while also amassing 304 runs at an average of 43.42 including a century.
On the other hand, Jofra Archer returned to the longest-format for England after four-long years, being marred by injuries. He played the third and fourth Tests and made crucial contributions with nine wickets. With England already leading the series, the management wants to rest Archer in a bid to manage his workload, especially with an away Ashes series lined up later this year.
England Playing XI for 5th Test vs India
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (C), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue.
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