Things England Need To Fix for Second Test in Antigua

After a devastating defeat in Barbados, the England cricket team only have a couple of days to turn things around before the second Test in Antigua. Before the match gets underway, let’s take a look at a few things that England need to fix in order to avoid another crushing defeat.

Don’t Leave An Experienced Seamer on the Bench

One of the biggest talking points before the first Test was played was whether Sam Curran or Stuart Broad would be selected as the second seamer. The team decided to go with Curran’s all-around batting skills and swing bowling instead of the hit-the-deck style that Broad brings to the table. However, Curran was unfortunately unable to make a huge impression due to the new ball and struggled to get control. When you play in the West Indies, regardless of the pitch is fasts or slow, you always go with a tall, quick bowler. It was a bad call to go with Curran instead of Broad.

Select a Spinner Who Plays a Holding Role

The decision made by England to include two spinners was a big concern as the West Indies decided to select four quicks along with Roston Chase who is a part-time spinner. In Sri Lanka, England succeeded as they played Jack Leach, Adil Rashid, and Moeen Ali. This trio managed to complement each other thanks to their unique strengths. However, in Barbados, England decided to bench Leach which resulted in both Rashid and Moeen leaking runs. The deck in Antigua is not quick or solid, so two spinners might be the right call this time around, but in Barbados, it was definitely the wrong call.

Time to Change the Batting Order

Although Rory Burns provided a stunning 84 runs during the second-innings, there were quite a few doubts when it came to Keaton Jennings who only scored 14 and 17 and was caught twice on edging drives. Even though Jennings managed to score two Test hundreds in Asia, he has quite a few difficulties when he faces pace bowlers. This is a weakness that West Indies will definitely exploit. The best option for England in Antigua is to replace him with Joe Denly, who is currently uncapped but does boast with loads of experience.  He is an exceptional player at the moment and will do far better in terms of batting when compared to Jennings.

Joe Root Needs To Be Revived

Another major issue that can be rectified before playing in Antigua is the outcome that Joe Root provided at the Kensington Oval during their horrible defeat. Joe Root’s batting average managed to drop below 50 which is the first time since 2014 with scores of 22 and 4. A top order that is currently misfiring placed an increase of pressure on him. However, nothing will assist England more than Root reviving his touch when it comes to batting. He needs to play much better for England to have a chance of winning this time around.