England consider Archer and Atkinson recall after heavy India defeat / Photo: Darren Staples - AFP
England consider Archer and Atkinson recall after heavy India defeat
Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson could be recalled for next week's third Test against India at Lord's after England captain Ben Stokes admitted his attack had failed to "blast them open" at Edgbaston.
India levelled the five-match series at 1-1 with a crushing 336-run win in the second Test on Sunday's fifth day.
And within hours of the thumping loss, England added Surrey quick Atkinson to their squad for Lord's.
Atkinson is fit again after suffering hamstring trouble against Zimbabwe in May and could join forces for the first time with Archer, who trained with England in Birmingham ahead of what promises to be the express quick's first Test following four years of injury-induced exile.
Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue could be the two bowlers to make away after plenty of overs against an India side who've scored nearly 1,900 runs, including five individual hundreds, in the opening two games of this series.
Stokes, as he'd done during England's five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley, sent India into bat at Edgbaston.
But having seen India reduced to 211-5, Stokes became increasingly helpless in the field as the tourists piled up 567, with opposing captain Shubman Gill making an outstanding 269.
"At 200-5 we were happy but we just weren't able to blast them open," said Stokes after England were dismissed for 271 on the final day. "They ended up getting a big first innings total after us having a good start."
- 'Decision we have to make' -
The all-rounder added: "It's no secret that we have spent some time in the field and bowled some overs in the first two games so we'll have to see how everyone pulls up over the next two days. With it being a quick turnaround there probably will be a decision we have to make."
Akash Deep, only playing at Edgbaston after India rested Jasprit Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, proved far more effective than any member of England's attack on a largely placid pitch with a career-best match haul of 10-147.
"I thought Akash exposed that crack last night and this (Sunday) morning," said Stokes. "It was incredibly skilful to hone in on that zone while still changing his angles on the crease."
England's bowlers, meanwhile, now have the tough task of stemming new India captain Shubman Gill's extraordinary run-spree.
Not content with his first-innings effort, Gill made 161 second time around at Edgbaston as he became the first batsman in 148 years of Test history to score a double century and a 150 in the same match.
The 25-year-old Gill, who marked his first Test as skipper with a century at Headingley, has now scored 585 runs in the series at a colossal average of 146.5.
"He's had some two games, hasn't he?," said Stokes, with a rueful smile, of Gill. "You've got got to give your opposition credit when it's due and for him to bang out as many runs as he has done in this game has been pretty special."
A.P.Moreno--GBA
