ECB picked a 14-man squad for the final Test at Old Trafford, starting on July 24.
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday (July 23) named their 14-man squad for the Third and Final Test at Old Trafford, starting on Friday. The series is locked at 1-1, with England needing a win to regain the Wisden Trophy, while a draw would be enough for West Indies to retain the coveted trophy.
Fast bowlers James Anderson and Mark Wood returned to the squad after being rested for the second Test, while Jofra Archer also returns after he was left out for breaching bio-secure protocols of the team by visiting his Brighton home while traveling to Manchester from Southampton.
Archer's participation in the series-decider was in some doubt after he complained of racial abuse on his social media accounts following the incident which led to him being dropped from the England team hours before the second Test. He now seems set to take his place in the side for the all-important Third Test.
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England have a selection headache at their hands as they will have to choose three seamers from James Anderson, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, and Sam Curran or drop a specialist batsman to accomodate another seamer in the final XI, if the top-ranked Test all-rounder Ben Stokes is not available to bowl.
Squad: Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.