Fantastic news for England, and the series. An England team with Stokes AND Woakes in it, can include not only a specialist spinner where conditions demand it, but also a genuine pace bowler like Mark Wood. It will allow Wood to bowl targeted, short spells flat out.
If I was picking a side to play tomorrow:
Burns
Hameed
Malan
Root
Stokes
Pope/Bairstow
Buttler
Woakes
Leach/Robinson
Wood
Anderson
Still underdogs, but by no means hopeless (at least on paper).
I appreciate many others would pick Robinson nailed on, rather than Wood. Robinson's obviously been brilliant since he came in to the side, in English conditions. Maybe I'm biased but I think on those pitches with a kookaburra ball, we will need some extra pace.
If I was picking a side to play tomorrow:
Burns
Hameed
Malan
Root
Stokes
Pope/Bairstow
Buttler
Woakes
Leach/Robinson
Wood
Anderson
Still underdogs, but by no means hopeless (at least on paper).
I appreciate many others would pick Robinson nailed on, rather than Wood. Robinson's obviously been brilliant since he came in to the side, in English conditions. Maybe I'm biased but I think on those pitches with a kookaburra ball, we will need some extra pace.
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