After a nail-biting two-wicket defeat in the first game of the Ashes series, England will enter the Lord’s Test down a game to Australia.
Nasser Hussain thinks England should replace Moeen Ali with either the fast bowler Mark Wood or the all-arounder Chris Woakes, who has done quite well at Lord’s thus far. On Wednesday, Australia and England will play the first ball in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. England lost the first Test match, a close one, by two wickets at Edgbaston. Speedster Mark Wood and Lord’s specialist Chris Woakes appear to be the potential alternatives for Moeen if England is willing to rely on Joe Root’s effective part-time spin.
Wood was quickly chosen as the next batsman by Hussain, and he is an excellent choice given his track record against Australia (he took the most wickets for England in the series against Australia in 2021/22).
Woakes has a great record in five Lord’s Tests, despite missing England’s comeback under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum since his last appearance in a Test in March 2022.
The 34-year-old has a combined average of 61.2 with the bat and 11.33 with the ball at the ground, where he has taken 27 wickets and scored 306 runs.
Wood would have to replace Moeen, forcing you to play Joe Root as your spinner and opting instead for four seamers or Chris Woakes. Adding Chris Woakes, who has a stellar track record at Lord’s, would strengthen the batting lineup and provide an additional all-rounder. According to ICC, Hussain suggested that either Chris Woakes or Mark Wood replace Moeen Ali.
After a nail-biting two-wicket loss in the first game of the Ashes series, England will enter the Lord’s Test down 1-0.
Under Stokes’ leadership, the hosts have had a remarkable 12 months, winning 11 of their 14 Tests. However, after the first Ashes Test, their captain caused some consternation by saying, “We are not a results-driven team.”
A wonderful week was had by all at Edgbaston. ‘Baseball’ has been the subject of much anticipation and discussion among fans and in the media. From the first ball, when Zak Crawley drove on the rise off Pat Cummins, they delivered. The ball rocketed to the boundary. That’s how they were able to get to this point. Hussain has remarked that his team is aiming to instill in their players the idea that winning isn’t everything and that they should instead focus on playing an upbeat brand of cricket.
“Of course, they are win-oriented, therefore of course they are results-driven. However, they aim to reduce stress on the team as a whole. The pressure and everything that has been done in the last year or so will be undone if they keep saying “We must win, we must win,” as the former England captain phrased it.
The fans of England “want them to play attractive cricket” and “want them to win,” he said.
To represent England at the Lord’s Test, the following players have been selected: Ben Stokes (c), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.
