‘Ek match khilake drop kardia’- Fans react as England makes one change for 2nd Ashes 2023 Test at Lord’s

Josh Tongue, has been picked as a replacement for Moeen Ali for the second Ashes 2023 Test, with England opting for an all-seam attack at Lord’s. Moeen Ali, who suffered a blown blister on his right index finger at Edgbaston, is the sole change from the series opener’s close two-wicket defeat.

Moeen Ali looked to put any doubts about his fitness to rest by participating fully in Monday’s net practice, but captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have decided to play with four seamers at Lord’s. Tongue made his Test debut earlier this month against Ireland, but he picked up a five-wickets in his first test match and enjoyed his chance in being in charge on the slow pitch of Lord’s.

England announce their squad before the Lord’s Test 

The Lord’s pitch seemed pretty green two days before the test, and if it remains so, it is likely to give more speed and bounce than the flat track used for the opener at Birmingham. If only England wanted to go with another spinner, they might have chosen Rehan Ahmed, a young leg-spinner who was called up to the team on Friday.

England’s XI: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonathan Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, James Anderson

After losing a nail-biter at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes and co. will be eager to get back on track when they face Australia at Lord’s on Wednesday, June 28. Australia were in deep trouble at 227/8 in the first Test, until skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon struck an unbroken 55-run partnership to script a historic two-wicket triumph.

Australia is yet to reveal their starting XI for the Lord’s Test, but not many changes are expected from the one that helped them grab a 1-0 series lead. It’s unclear whether Mitchell Starc, who was kept out of the first test match, will have a chance this time to make a comeback to the team. It will be interesting to see who would Australia drop to bring in Mitchell Starc in the second test.

Here’s how fans reacted