Report: England swings axe, makes radical changes to team for Third Test

The Poms have reportedly dumped two bowlers and reshaped their batting order as they scramble to find a winning formula in the Ashes.

Australia will face a dramatically recast England XI as it looks to win the Ashes in the Third Test starting Thursday, according to a report in The Telegraph.

England appears set to sacrifice a recognised batsman for an extra bowler and longer tail after being forced into changes by an injury to No. 3 Ollie Pope.

Ben Stokes’ side will recall a trio of bowlers – spinner Moeen Ali, seamer Chris Woakes and quick Mark Wood – while resting veteran Jimmy Anderson and youngster Josh Tongue.

It will force the Poms to promote No. 5 Harry Brook to first drop in a calculated gamble given his high-risk approach to batting and susceptibility to the short ball so far in the series.

It leaves England’s probable XI as Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Brook, Joe Root, Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen, Woakes, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson.

Tongue showed great promise in just his second Test match at Lord’s so it’s somewhat of a surprise to see him make way for Wood after just one appearance.

Wood was unavailable at Lord’s because of an elbow complaint and will have to pass a fitness test to play at Leeds, but appears the preferred option of the two firebrands.

Josh Tongue is one and done in the England team despite taking five wickets at Lord’s. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Anderson’s axing is less of a surprise given his age and the expectation he wouldn’t play every match in the series – and of course his performance to this point.

The 40-year-old currently has three wickets in the series at an average of 75 and strike rate of 150 and penned his frustrations in a column for The Telegraph.

“I will be honest. You want to contribute in the big series and I cannot remember having two such quiet games in a row for at least the past 10 years,” Anderson wrote.

“I feel like I have always contributed at some stage. But I do not think I am bowling particularly badly; I am just going through a lean patch, which you do not want to happen in an Ashes.”

He’s replaced by Woakes, who will play his first Test since March, 2021, and first with Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as coach.

Woakes, who averages 28 with the bat, allows England to bat deeper but also resume the bouncer barrage it used to good effect at Lord’s with a four-pronged pace attack.

Another English player so far overlooked in the Bazball era, batsman Dan Lawrence, was again not required.

Jimmy Anderson is expected to be back for the Fourth Test, which is being played at his home ground at Old Trafford. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Lawrence won the last of his 11 Test caps last March and was expected to earn his 12th as the best like-for-like replacement with Pope.

Pope was ruled out for the rest of the series against Australia after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the second Test.

Pope was injured while fielding on the first day at Lord’s last week and aggravated the problem after England were told they were not permitted to use a substitute fielder in the second innings.

The 25-year-old underwent scans on his right shoulder that showed he needs surgery, forcing him to the sidelines for the remainder of the 2023 campaign.

Australia leads the five-match series 2-0 as it attempts to become the first Australian side to win the Ashes in England since 2001.

Spinner Todd Murphy is expected to replace Nathan Lyon after his devastating calf injury at Lord’s. The Aussie batting line-up is set and there has been little discussion publicly about any change to the fast bowling unit after Mitchell Starc replaced Scott Boland for the Second Test.