England captain Ben Stokes has won the the toss and opted to bowl in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s. Having won the series opener at Edgbaston, Australia make one change – Mitchell Starc replaces Scott Boland, which according to Ricky Ponting is a strange decision as Boland is a seamer tailor-made for the prevailing conditions at the home of cricket.
Despite their loss in the opening Test, England have insisted they’ll abide by their ultra-positive style of play – famously dubbed as Bazball – and if anything, they’ve promised an extra dose of aggression. The hosts announced their eleven in advance, swapping Moeen Ali with Josh Tongue.
Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue, James Anderson
Mitchell Starc Scott Boland
Pat Cummins discusses the change in the Australia team pic.twitter.com/mtJ25pqukK
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 28, 2023
England opt to field in the second #Ashes Test.
Australia bring in Mitchell Starc for Scott Boland #WTC25 | #ENGvAUS : https://t.co/liWqlPDifV pic.twitter.com/cJkjthd4lq
— ICC (@ICC) June 28, 2023
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