ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) decides a new squad for the second test against New Zealand

For the second test against New Zealand, which is going to be held at The Oval, the England team has announced a new squad. The new squad will be led by the former captain Joe Root. Ben Stokes used to be the captain of the team usually. But now, certain changes had taken place inside the squad. Not only Stokes but also the pacer of the team Gus Atkinson is also left out.

The second test is going to start on the 17th of June and the ECB aka the England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that both Stokes and Atkinson are not going to play for the team. Although, Root, the interim captain, has previous experience of leadership. As he is one of the most experienced players of the squad the board therefore decided to choose him for the upcoming matches.

Root has led the team for sixty-four test matches previously till 2022. This comeback therefore marks a special mention for his professional career. Though Atkinson is out of the team, England has included Jofra Archer one of their most celebrated pacer along with the batter Jordan Cox. Archer has prior experience in test matches whereas Cox is finally making his debut after overcoming several obstacles.

England has won the first test by 115 runs at Lord's stadium. The previous squad made the befitting win possible therefore there's an air of confidence within the team for the second one already. Though the pitch and weather situation were not really in favour, the hosts still kept the tempo of their performance in both the line-ups. Ollie Robinson was the star of that match after he bagged five wickets in the very first innings.

Sportscape therefore observes this situation as a crucial point for the new squad. They have to carry some extra expectations as well as some extra amount of responsibility. This sudden change has challenged the in-house balance of the team. Now it's time to see if the new squad is capable of dealing with that or not. The second test with the new squad therefore will decide a few answers to the following questions.