England announce 14-man squad for 3rd Test vs WI; Anderson and Archer return
England have announced a 14-man squad for the 3rd Test against the West Indies, and pacers James Anderson, Jofra Archer, and Mark Wood have made returns to the team.
Anderson was rested for the 2nd Test after an average performance in the 1st, whereas Wood was dropped after a game in which he bowled fast but didn't get much out of the pitch.
Archer broke bio-secure protocols on his way from Southampton to Manchester, the venue for the final two Tests of the 3-match series. His decision to head home resulted in the violation, and he was formally warned and fined by the ECB.
Although Archer's tests have returned negative results, the 25-year-old recently hit out at his critics, stating that he is unsure of whether he is in the right frame of mind to play for England, but seems to be ready to feature in the series decider.
The 14-man squad also features the pacers who excelled in the 2nd Test - Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, and Stuart Broad. With the presence of 6 quality fast bowlers, apart from the all-round capabilities of Ben Stokes, England are spoilt for choice in the department.
Ollie Robinson, who made the 13-man squad for the 2nd Test, has been dropped. Another notable absentee is wicket-keeper Ben Foakes, who has long been knocking on the door of the England Test team owing to the poor form of Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.
England's 14-man squad for the 3rd Test:
Joe Root (Yorkshire) Captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Dominic Bess (Somerset), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
The Wisden Trophy is poised delicately at the moment
England and West Indies have each won 1 game in the 3-Test series, and the decider at Old Trafford is expected to be a cracking contest although there are chances of rain playing spoilsport.
After Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel led the tourists to an upset in the 1st Test, Ben Stokes produced one of the best-ever all-round Test performances to level the scores.
Also Read: England vs West Indies 3rd Test- 5 things to watch out for in the Wisden Trophy decider