The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named the playing XI for the final Test of the ongoing five-match series against India. England have made just one change to their lineup from the previous Test match, where they suffered a five-wicket defeat in Ranchi.
The fifth Test between India and England will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, starting on Thursday, March 7. The Ben Stokes-led team will be hoping to end the series with a win as India has already sealed the series victory.
Mark Wood replaces Ollie Robinson in England XI
The England selectors have chosen wood frames to replace Ollie Robinson in the playing XI. However, the team management persisted with James Anderson even though he played three consecutive Tests. Anderson needs just two wickets to complete 700 Test wickets.
In the Ranchi test, Ollie Robinson failed to hit the ball. He remained wicketless in India’s first innings and did not bowl in the next innings. However, he contributed 58 runs and formed a crucial partnership with Joe Root in England’s first innings.
“The England men have named their team to face India in the fifth Test match in Dharamshala starting Thursday. The Three Lions have made a change and Mark Wood returns to replace Ollie Robinson.” the statement said.
England playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (C), Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Mark Wood, James Anderson and Shoaib Bashir
It doesn’t mean we’ve gone backwards – Ben Stokes
England captain Ben Stokes highlighted the many positives gained from his tour of India despite the series defeat. Stokes highlighted improvements in overall fitness and performance compared to previous matches.
“Just because the score right now reads 3-1 doesn’t mean we’ve gone backwards. There are a lot of these things that we’ve made huge progress on as a team during this tour. The people and the team have evolved tremendously on this tour. The way everyone committed to becoming a better version of themselves since the last time we played was pretty obvious; “We’re all in better shape and it was a really different feeling in terms of how we operate than the previous summer.” Stokes said.
England achieved an initial victory in the first match of the series in Hyderabad, but faced consecutive defeats in the following matches, leading to the series defeat. This result marked the team’s first loss in the Test series since the start of Brendon McCullum’s tenure.
The team management debuted Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley in the ongoing series. Both players justified their selections with impressive bowling performances. Hartley claimed seven wickets in the fourth innings during the series opener in Hyderabad.
Shoaib Bashir claimed his first five-wicket haul during the first innings of the fourth Test. The off-spinner also took three wickets in the second innings. Despite his bowling efforts, the visiting team failed to secure victory and conceded a 3-1 lead to the rivals.
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