England have made two changes for the second Test of the five-match series against India in Vizag, starting tomorrow (February 1).
Jack Leach was unable to take part in the second Test as he is recovering from a knee injury sustained in the first Test match in Hyderabad. His successor, 20-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Basheer, is scheduled to make his Test debut in Visakhapatnam after arriving in India late due to visa issues.
Shoaib Bashir has been named in England XI. Only Rehan Ahmed (who is also in the team), has played for England since 1945 with fewer first-class appearances behind him. Rehan 3, Bashir 6. Anderson replaces Wood
– Simon Wild (@swildecricket) 1. February 2024
Another change England have made is replacing seamer Mark Wood with veteran James Anderson. Wood bowled 25 overs without taking a wicket in the first Test. Anderson, 41, is expected to become the oldest player to play Test cricket for India this century.
England XI for second Test vs India
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Ben Foakes (wk), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson.
More to follow…
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