The England team suffered their second-heaviest defeat against India during the recent ENG vs IND 2nd Test Edgbaston where the visitors managed to post 1000-plus runs across two innings. The Indian batters capitalised on the flat conditions with skipper Shubman Gill leading the pack with a double century and a ton (269 and 161). It is now understood that following the 336-run drubbing on what turned out to be a somewhat ‘subcontinent-style’ pitch, the England management has requested for a strip with “plenty of life in it” at Lord’s for the third Test.
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The Lord’s ground, which recently hosted the World Test Championship (WTC 2025 Final), saw pacers dominate with Kagiso Rabada taking a fifer and Pat Cummins taking a six-wicket haul.
Now, England head coach Brendon McCullum appears to have requested a similar surface from MCC head groundsman Karl McDermott.
Baz revealed he wants, “Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways. It’ll be a blockbuster either way, but I think it’s going to set up for a cracker – especially if there’s plenty of life in it [the pitch].”
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The Three Lions are expected to see two key pacers make a return for the decisive third Test. Jofra Archer, who was added before the second Test and Gus Atkinson, who was added to the squad right after the Edgbaston loss.
Archer was already seen training on practice strips ahead of the second Test and is prepped for a return with McCullum also echoing the same.
Atkinson, on the other hand, has been a major miss after his hamstring injury during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and his recovery has taken longer than anticipated.
Notably, England will have just one full training session ahead of the third Test, which begins on Thursday (July 10). With their bowlers having delivered 443 overs across the first two matches, the team has prioritised recovery in their schedule.
While an optional session may be available for some players on Tuesday, bowlers like Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, and Chris Woakes are expected to focus on rest and recuperation instead.
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