Ashes 2019 | England's Predicted XI for the third Test at Headingley
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If the Lord's encounter is a sign of things to come, then you can bet that we're all in for a rollercoaster ride for the next three matches. England's selection calls in the second Test, namely Archer and Leach, paid huge dividends for them, but this time around, they're expected to go unchanged.
Openers
Rory Burns: With a century and a fifty to his name already, Rory Burns has been head and shoulders above any other English batsmen in this Ashes so far. He came into the series with his place in the side under serious trouble, but with his grit, determination and self-belief, has led his team from the front. It did take him some time, but now the Surrey man looks to have found his feet at the international level.
Jason Roy: Despite four failures in as many innings in this Ashes so far, Roy has been handed a lifeline for the Headingley Test by the selectors, and one must imagine that this would be his final rope for a considerable while. The opener has looked like a shadow of his ODI self whenever he has walked out to bat, and his confidence also seems pretty shattered. But then again, international cricket is all about picking yourself up, battling your demons and producing results for your team, and Roy would be very well aware of what lies ahead of him.
Middle-order
Joe Root: In more than one way, Joe has been Root cause of all the troubles faced by the English batting in this series. From both a psychological and a technical aspect, the English skipper has been fighting against himself more than anything else, and has looked already defeated by the time he’s come out to bat. The comparison between himself and Steve Smith is long gone now, but with England coming on the back of an ardent display at Lord’s, the stage is set for the skipper to hit the ground running and his team will need him to do so.
Joe Denly: What looks pretty to the eye isn’t always effective, and there’s no better example for that statement than Joe Denly’s batting. With scores of 18,11, 30 and 26, the all-rounder from Kent has gotten off to starts more often than not, even striking a few elegant boundaries in the process. But then again, every time he’s looked like he’s got his eye in, the right-hander has either thrown his wicket away, or just been undone by a straightforward delivery. He certainly hasn’t repaid the selectors for the faith they’ve shown.
Jos Buttler: The 31 he scored in the second innings at Lord’s might arguably be the ugliest innings Buttler has played in his Test career, but certainly, without a doubt, is one of the more important ones. For both the well-being of himself and his team, Buttler desperately needed that knock to reassure things, and it might just help him kick on in the games to come. But that being said, Pat Cummins has had his number throughout the series, and that will definitely play on the back of his mind.
Jonny Bairstow: Like Buttler, Jonny Bairstow too needed a knock of substance to get his confidence up, and he did exactly that with his 30* at Lord’s which helped England get a flurry of runs towards the end. In many ways, Bairstow has gone under the radar in this series. Perhaps it’s because he’s batting at No.7, which is too low for a batsman of his quality, but then again, great players make their case with the bat and don’t hover over little things.
All-rounders
Ben Stokes: This is just Ben Stokes’ world, and we’re all living in it. Everything the all-rounder has touched in the last two months has turned into gold, and well, once again at Lord’s, he turned the game on its head with his century on Day 5. For the left-hander, it’s all about keeping things simple and continue doing what’s been doing, but maybe he would appreciate the top-order lending a bit of help now and then.
Chris Woakes: Chris Woakes’ ridiculous record at Lord’s was the talk of the town before the start of the second Test and while he did start off the match on a bright note, he fizzled away as it progressed, indicated by the fact that he bowled just 3 overs in the second innings. But saying that, one aspect of his which has gone unnoticed is his impeccable consistency with the bat. He now has three scores of thirty-plus in this series, making him only the second batsman after Smith to score 30 or more runs in each of the innings played in this series so far.
Bowlers
Jofra Archer: There are good debuts, then are impactful debuts, and then there’s the debut that Jofra Archer had. Justin Langer said before the Lord’s Test that Australia would like to wear him down and take advantage of him in his third and fourth spells, but well, all the damage done by Archer was post his 24th over, including the blow he delivered to Steve Smith. Walking into the Headingley Test, he will exactly know what he’s supposed to do. Don’t be surprised if he bowls a bouncer or two come Thursday.
Stuart Broad: This Ashes has so far been a tale of two innings for Stuart Broad. In first innings’, he has taken 9 wickets at an average of 16.7, and in the second, he has taken a solitary wicket averaging 120. He would definitely hoping to be improving on those second innings numbers at Headingley but what he has done is completely dent the confidence of David Warner, who he has dismissed thrice already in this series. No prizes for guessing who will win their battle in the third Test.
Jack Leach: Jack Leach did something at Lord’s that many bowlers have failed to do over the course of the last 18 months - outbowl Nathan Lyon. On a Day 5 track with cracks and rough patches, Leach displayed a masterclass of consistent and crafty spin bowling to leave the Aussies in all sorts, claiming three wickets in the process. The Lord’s performance is certainly a huge positive, and the left-armer would be looking to pick up the pieces from where he left off.
