England announce squad for the 3rd Test match against India

Cricketer Ben Stokes Appears In Court Charged With Affray

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday announced the 13-man squad for the 3rd Test Match against India at the Trent Bridge.

With the series comfortably under their control with a 2-0 lead, the selectors have announced an unchanged squad, with star all-rounder Ben Stokes missing out yet again.

The 27-year-old all-rounder is currently undergoing a trial at Bristol for his involvement in a fight outside a club in Bristol where his limited overs teammate Alex Hales was also present. Chris Woakes, who has replaced Stokes, gave a match-winning performance in the 2nd Test as he scored his maiden Test Century of 137* and also picked up 4 wickets in the match.

Uncapped bowler Jamie Porter and southpaw Moeen Ali continue being the part of the squad after missing out of the playing 11 for the 2nd Test match at Lord's Cricket Ground.

England Squad : Joe Root (c), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Johnny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Jos Butler, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jamie Porter.

It has been however reported that Ben Stokes is likely to miss out even if he is found not guilty of affray at Bristol Crown Court this week. The statement regarding this was released by the ECB along with the squad on Monday stating that an assessment of Stokes' availability will be made once the trail is concluded. After the conclusion of the trail at Bristol, Ben Stokes and Alex Hales will undergo another hearing which will be conducted by the Cricket Discipline Commission. This further reduces Ben Stokes chances of playing.

The series stands 2-0 in favour of the hosts after smashing the visitors by an innings and 159 runs at the Home Of Cricket in the 2nd Test match. The Virat Kohli-led Indian side has to deal with their own selection headaches.

The 3rd Test Match of the 5-match Series will start on 18th August (Saturday) at Trent Bridge.