England’s Third Test Team is Unchanged

The selectors have decided to stick with the combination that won the previous series grandly at Old Trafford.

The England men’s team will field the same squad in the third and final test of their series against South Africa, which will begin at the Kia Oval on Thursday, September 8.

The selection panel is made up of captain Ben Stokes. Head coach Brendon McCullum, and managing director Rob Key, have decided to stick with their 14-man group after a victory at Emirates Old Trafford.

By an innings and 85 runs, which evened the series at one win apiece after the Proteas won the first Test at Lord’s by an innings and 12 runs. The Proteas won the first Test at Lord’s by an innings and 12 runs.

After initially naming the group that would play the first two games, the only possibility of a change would have been in the case that they lost both of those games.

Even yet, McCullum is of the mind to give players as many opportunities as possible to succeed, particularly with this set of players, who both he and Stokes believe to be the best available in the country right now for their various roles.

Selectors Keep Faith with a Group That Squared Series in Style at Old Trafford

Zak Crawley, who had suffered through a difficult stretch of form this summer, was the player who was put under the most pressure to perform well.

In spite of this, a dogged 38 off 101 deliveries in England’s first innings in Manchester was praised as the basis from which the hosts were able to build an unassailable total of 415 for nine declared.

Now, his opening partner Alex Lees is the focus of external consideration because he has an average of 25 across the six Tests that have been played so far this summer, despite scoring two fifty-plus scores (Crawley has none).

Both have received backing from the management of the team, with Key expressing his approval of the two players during a lunch piece on Sky Sports that aired during the second test match.

He stated that there were not many individuals interested in batting first because everyone wanted to bat fourth, fifth, or sixth instead. “There are not many people queuing up to bat at the top of the order,” he remarked.

“All we want to do is ensure that we are going to provide individuals with opportunities. If there comes a moment in the future when we need new opening batters or new players.

Those individuals will be aware that they will be given the same number of opportunities as these men have had.

We have spent the past ten years, ever since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook, trying to establish an opening partnership, and that is the most challenging aspect of batting at the present.

We are going to give them as good a shot as we can.”

Although the limited-overs squad will be flying out to Pakistan as soon as the Test match is done, it is believed that certain members of that group may still be present at the Kia Oval in order to continue their preparations there.

The limited-overs squad will be named on Friday. Mark Wood, a fast for Durham who just underwent a second operation on his elbow and is now back to bowling at full speed in training, is expected to be one of those players.

England Squad

Ben Stokes (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes (wk), Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root.