England is poised to maintain their momentum as they face West Indies in the final Test of the series, starting on July 26 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The England team, led by Ben Stokes, has retained the same eleven players that have brought them success in the first two matches, winning convincingly by 241 runs and an innings and 114 runs.
In their most recent match at Trent Bridge, England displayed dominant batting, with notable performances from Ollie Pope, who scored 121 and 51, alongside key centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root, who scored 109 and 122, respectively, in the second innings. On the bowling front, Chris Woakes was effective, claiming 4 wickets for 84 runs, while young spinner Shoaib Bashir made waves by taking a remarkable five-wicket haul (5/41) in the second innings, marking him as the youngest spinner to achieve such a feat at home for England.
The West Indies will be looking to bounce back after their defeats in the series. Despite some commendable individual performances, including Alick Athanaze (82), Kavem Hodge (120), and Joshua Da Silva (82) in the second Test, they were unable to secure a strong finish, managing to score only 143 all out in their second innings.
As both teams prepare for the final Test, England’s lineup remains as follows:
- Zak Crawley
- Ben Duckett
- Ollie Pope
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Ben Stokes (c)
- Jamie Smith (wk)
- Chris Woakes
- Gus Atkinson
- Mark Wood
- Shoaib Bashir
With a clean sweep on the line, England will be looking to capitalise on their current form, while the West Indies will aim to deliver a spirited performance in their final chance of the series.