Ben Stokes says unchanged England side was 'easy decision' ahead of third Test against West Indies
Published 25/07/2024 at 15:22 GMT+1
Ben Stokes explained the decision to stay with an unchanged England side for Friday’s third Test against the West Indies, saying it was "pretty easy" to keep a squad that had given "very good all-round team performances." Dillon Pennington will have to wait for his England Test debut as Stokes stressed his inclusion would "come naturally."
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Ben Stokes said it was an "easy decision" to keep an unchanged England side ahead of their third Test against the West Indies.
England currently lead the three-match series 2-0 after resounding victories at Lord's and Trent Bridge.
Edgbaston will play host to the third Test, which gets underway on Friday, but there will be no opportunity for Dillon Pennington to make his debut in Birmingham due to Stokes not wanting to tinker with a winning formula.
"Two-nil up and very good all-round team performances, pretty easy decision to stick with the same 11 and want to wrap up the series and hopefully take it 3-0," the England captain said.
"That [Pennington’s inclusion] will come naturally with six Test matches, even though we have a decent break; fast bowling is hard, so naturally, we will see changes in the bowling line-up."
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Shoaib Bashir of England celebrates with team mates after bowling out Jason Holder during day four of the 2nd Test Match between England and the West Indies at Trent Bridge
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Matthew Potts, who made his Test debut for England in June 2022, will also sit out.
"It is tough not to play, but for Potts and Dillon, it’s great for them to be in the squad," Stokes continued.
"It’s tough, but they work incredibly hard, so if the opportunity comes around for either of them, they will be ready to go.
"We’ve stuck with the same team for the first three games because we don’t feel a necessary opportunity to change.
"Though he [Pennington] hasn’t got the opportunity, we know how hard he works out in the middle, there’s no doubt an opportunity will come for him, and he’ll be ready to go."
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The only change to the England team during the Test series so far saw Mark Wood replace the retiring James Anderson following his farewell against the West Indies.
While Wood only took two wickets on his return at Trent Bridge, Stokes was full of praise for his bowling exploits in the face of bouts of cramp.
"The whole game changes," said Stokes. "When his name gets read out, the whole crowd is up, then when the speeds are on the big screen, everyone gets going. Woody is always looking up at the screen as well to see what he's clocking.
"He's got the heart of a lion. He runs in, spell after spell, ball after ball. Although he didn't get the rewards he wanted last week, he knows he affects the game in more ways than just wickets. That showed last week."
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Mark Wood averaged 92.1mph in a blistering spell on his Test match return for England against West Indies
Image credit: Getty Images
England’s vice-captain Ollie Pope has already said he is confident his team can achieve a whitewash against the West Indies, insisting the batting team had a "real hunger."
"We want to be as ruthless as we can as a batting unit, but still play the way we do because that's our natural game," he said. "Obviously, being ruthless is being part of Test cricket as well."
A whitewash against the West Indies will be a significant boost for England ahead of a Test series against Sri Lanka in August.
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