Toothless England are crying out for the likes of Archer and Atkinson ...Middle East

2nd Test, Day 4: England 407 & 72-3 (Pope 24* | Deep 2-36) trail India 587 & 427-6 dec (Gill 161, Jadeja 69* | Tongue 2-93) by 536 runs with 7 wickets remaining

EDGBASTON — When this second Test ends on Sunday, a wounded and weary England squad will head to London for the next match of the series that starts at Lord’s on Thursday.

There is little doubt that when they arrive in the capital the series will be level at 1-1 after a torrid fourth day for Ben Stokes’s side that first saw India bat them out of the game and then torment them with the ball late in the evening session.

Set 608 to win, England were left 72 for 3 at stumps after losing Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Joe Root during the final 16 overs of a chastening day.

Bazball has created some miracles over the years, including the chase of 371 at Headingley in the first Test of this series.

A NIGHTMARE start for England as Zak Crawley falls for a duck! pic.twitter.com/L8ziKPGt8i

Yet pulling off a world-record chase from this position isn’t happening.

Even those hardy souls in the Hollies Stand who rose to their feet to sing “stand up if you still believe” after Akash Deep had just emphatically bowled Duckett to leave England 30 for 2 must know the game is up.

Still, the series will be tantalisingly poised but India, led by 430 runs from their imperious captain Shubman Gill in this Test, have also ensured that England will have to make wholesale changes to their seam attack having kept their opponents in the field for 234 overs in Birmingham.

That is not just because they must be in a state of exhaustion having also played the first Test at Headingley.

It is also because the combination of Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse have been made to look toothless as a collective across the opening two Tests in which England have shipped a combined 1,849 runs.

Akash Deep with an absolute beauty to remove Ben Duckett pic.twitter.com/Phqavrnkdh

For context, in 148 years of Test cricket, that is the most any team has scored across the first two matches of a series.

The 1,014 scored by India in Birmingham is not only their highest-ever match aggregate in a single Test but the most England have conceded in 91 years and second on the all-time only to the 1,028 shipped against Australia at The Oval in 1934.

There is no denying much of this is down to an Edgbaston pitch that is undoubtedly the flattest seen in a Test in England since the monstrosity that was prepared for the 2014 Trent Bridge Test between these countries.

That match, you may remember, was famous for James Anderson scoring 81 from No 11.

Yet that we are likely to get a positive result here is because India’s bowling attack, led by the excellent Mohammed Siraj and Deep, have comfortably outperformed England’s. 

India’s seamers have managed to make the new ball talk, as evidenced by the chaos that ensued on this fourth evening.

In contrast, other than Woakes on the first morning, England have wasted it.

Akash Deep crashes through Joe Root's defence and England are THREE down! pic.twitter.com/Tw1qBGt0sG

More worryingly, there are fitness issues with both Carse, whose toe injury from the winter appears to have resurfaced, and Stokes, who restricted himself to just seven overs in India’s second innings and looked to be suffering the effects from the 54 overs he bowled across India’s first three innings of this series.

It seems inevitable that Carse will be rested for Lord’s, as England need to look after one of their best bowlers, one who will be integral to their Ashes chances in Australia this winter.

Stokes, who twice tore his left hamstring last year, also needs to be carefully managed.

Tongue, meanwhile, did pick up seven wickets at Headingley having twice mopped up India’s tail.

But he looked cooked in this match, taking 4 for 212 overall, going at 6.2 an over during India’s second innings.

The good news is both Gus Atkinson and Jofra Archer should be available for Lord’s.

Both must play if fit, even if Archer has bowled just 18 overs in first-class cricket over the past four years.

square CRICKET

Ben Stokes has had an absolute stinker

Fresh legs are required and the buzz of Archer’s long-awaited Test return, plus the addition of Atkinson, the find of last summer who twice excelled at Lord’s in 2024, would be a major boost for England.

Tongue and Carse will make way in that scenario while it is also possible Woakes, who has taken just three wickets across the first two Tests, might also be taken out of the firing line.

The 36-year-old averages 12 with the ball at Lord’s but England may decide to replace him in the XI anyway with either Jamie Overton or Sam Cook.

Whatever the formation of the attack next week, they need to find a way of getting Gill out.

India’s new captain averaged 29.50 away from home before this series but he now has 585 runs so far across these first two Tests.

Don Bradman’s record of 974 for the most runs in a single series – set by the Australian great in England in 1930 – is now in Gill’s crosshairs.

England know they need to stem that avalanche of runs or the series could get away from them.

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