Archer and Stokes out of the England squad for the 2nd Test

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After an emphatic test match at Old Trafford in the first test of the series in which England chased 277 to win thanks to a fantastic partnership of Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler.

However, England now has a gaping hole in the squad, having lost their star man Ben Stokes due to family issues back in New Zealand. England selectors have had it all to do this week and have decided to replaced Ben Stokes all-rounder like qualities with Sam Curran and then beefed up the batting attack by replacing Jofra Archer with Zak Crawley.

England started the first test in shaky fashion in which Pakistan looked like they were going to take the first test, in fact they looked strong odds at 9/1 to win the series, entices many punters into due to the dangers that this Pakistan side offers. Odds like this have been available at casinos not on gamstop, along with other markets that you can delve into now the 2nd test has started. The popularity of these sites has now seemed to rise again due to the induction of live sport again with lockdown restrictions being eased.

Stokes is obviously going to be a huge miss for this England side, with him now being crowned the number one all-rounder in Test Cricket so Sam Curran has big boots to fill. However, the 22-year old has always seemed to step up once he pulls on that England jersey; something he clearly wears with pride. Curran is a serious talent and definitely one for the future, and although more of a bowler than a batter, he is dangers with both. Having looked at the pitch at the Ageas Bowl, it looks a quick pitch where Curran will want to pitch it up against the legs of the Pakistan batters.

The other change in the squad is dropping Jofra Archer and bringing in a batter in Zak Crawlings. In the first Test, England did look light on the ground in batting having only six recognised batsmen in the team but we’re fortunate that Woakes and Butler stepped up and brought home the win. Although those two don’t have the consistency yet to be able to deliver on that level every time, and England can’t be seen to rely on them so have brought in Crawley to be able to give them more reassurance. Crawley, who looked sharp scoring a 77 in the West Indies series, will want to post a good score to cement his place in the side.

 

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