look news india
News India Live, Digital Desk: The excitement of the Ashes series is always on cloud nine. When the series reaches its turning point (5th Test), every captain wants to field his best team. England captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum have taken a shocking decision and dropped Gus Atkinson from the playing-12. Atkinson, who troubled the Australian batsmen a lot this season with his pace and swing, is not being accepted by the fans.
Why was Atkinson given rest?
It is not that Atkinson’s performance was bad. Actually, cricket pundits believe that after bowling continuously in the last few matches, fatigue may overpower him. Keeping ‘workload management’ in mind, the team management thought it better to give him rest.
Potts and Bashir’s Jugalbandi
Talking about Matthew Potts, he is known for his precise line-length. His return will strengthen the team’s fast bowling attack. On the other hand, Shoaib Bashir’s name is in discussion because considering the nature of the pitch, the team wants to play a spinner. If the pitch is found to be dry and conducive to spin as per the match conditions, then Bashir’s experience will be very useful.
What is the overall vision of the team?
England wants to end the series with honor by winning this last match. Losing in the era of ‘baseball’ cricket is not in their dictionary. Therefore, this team is choosing not just 11 but its playing 12 very thoughtfully so that the final eleven (11) can be decided at the last moment according to the field conditions.
The Australian camp must also be watching these changes. The absence of Gus Atkinson may be a relief for them, but it will not be easy for the Kangaroos to overcome the new maze that England has created in the form of Potts and Bashir.
At present, the eyes of cricket lovers are fixed on which of these 11 players will cement their place on the field at the time of the toss.