After England’s thrilling 22-run victory against India in the third Test at Lord’s there is a decent break until the fourth match of the series starts at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Yet the call-up of spinner Liam Dawson for the injured Shoaib Bashir has set selection speculation running. How many changes are England, 2-1 up with two Tests to play, likely to make? And what about the pitch and the bad blood between the teams?
The i Paper takes a look at six big questions ahead of the fourth Test.
Having Bashir ruled out of the rest of the series with a broken finger was bad luck for England.
Yet it seems highly unlikely they will not go with a specialist slow bowler at a venue that has traditionally been favourable to spin.
That means Dawson, called up to England’s Test squad for the first time in eight years this week, is almost certain to play.
With no other specialists in the squad it means the only alternative would be to select Jacob Bethell to strengthen the batting and play as a part-time spinner alongside Joe Root.
That, however, seems a long shot, especially as head coach Brendon McCullum has said that Bethell was only being considered as a batting option this summer.
Is Jofra Archer going to be ready to play again?
Jofra Archer could be rested following his exploits at Lord’s (Photo: Getty)It is a fair question given he bowled 39.2 overs at Lord’s in his first Test appearance in four-and-a-half years.
England will be cautious given Archer’s injury history but he was back to his explosive best, with an average speed of 87 miles per hour but bowling regularly above 90mph.
The man himself thinks he should play in Manchester, saying: “I can play the other two if they let me. I don’t want to lose this series.”
With the Ashes getting ever closer, England will be reluctant to risk the fast bowler. I’d expect Archer to sit this one out.
After playing the first three Tests, Chris Woakes surely won’t go again at the age of 36.
Dawson’s batting strength also means Woakes won’t be missed at No 8.
England will see this as the perfect time to recall the fit-again Gus Atkinson after his hamstring issues.
If Archer is rested, expect Josh Tongue to come back into the attack alongside Brydon Carse, who produced his best performance of the series at Lord’s.
Will Zak Crawley or Ollie Pope be dropped?
Highly unlikely. Crawley is almost untouchable, such is England’s belief that he will come good in Australia this winter.
His 189 at Old Trafford against the Aussies two years ago is relevant here for a number of reasons.
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Only after the Ashes will a final judgement be made on the opener, with England expecting him to come good in at least one of the two remaining Tests this summer.
As for Pope, his first-innings 44 at Lord’s has gained in value given the closeness of the contest.
He looked all at sea for most of that innings and for the 17 balls he faced in second innings, scoring four.
England, aware the bowlers won them the Lord’s Test, could decide to be bold from a position of strength and replace him with Bethell for the rest of the series. But I wouldn’t bank on it.
A Wednesday start usually means one thing – a surface that’s flatter than the M6 as the venue looks to maximise its revenue by trying to guarantee the Test goes into the weekend.
That seems even more likely at Old Trafford, where all four of Lancashire’s County Championship matches this season have been draws.
Yet The i Paper’s spies in Manchester have cautioned against writing off the pitch just yet, revealing they expect a surface with more pace, carry and spin than we saw in the past two Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord’s.
And the aggro between the teams?
England’s time-wasting tactics at the end of day three at Lord’s lit the fuse on a tumultuous final two days, with the needle between the teams spilling over on several occasions.
Both captains have since said they think that is “good for the game” so expect more of the same in Manchester.
Archer revealed after Lord’s that England decided to ramp up the aggression – and the sledging – as a “pack” to try and unsettle India after they had come at Crawley and Ben Duckett on that third evening.
McCullum even got involved, signalling for his players to get stuck into Washington Sundar when he came out to bat on the final morning.
The tactic worked, too, as India lost their nerve, if not their fighting spirit, during their chase of 193. Expect more fireworks at Old Trafford.
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