England has made one alteration to their lineup for the upcoming second Test against the West Indies at Trent Bridge, bringing back fast bowler Mark Wood to take the place of the recently retired James Anderson. The match is scheduled to kick off on Thursday.
Wood missed the first Test at Lord's due to his recent participation in England's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, where he claimed three wickets across five matches. Although he hasn't played any first-class games for Durham this season, his selection was confirmed following England's commanding victory by an innings and 114 runs at Lord's.
This match is notable for England, as it will be the first home Test since 2012, and only the second since 2007, without either Anderson or Stuart Broad in the lineup. Anderson was spotted at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, taking on his new role as England's bowling coach after his farewell match at Lord's.
Matthew Potts and Dillon Pennington, who were initially part of the squad for the first two Tests, will have to bide their time for their chances. Potts, who made a strong start to his Test career with 23 wickets in his first six matches in 2022 and 2023, hasn't played for England since the Ireland Test at Lord's last June. Meanwhile, Pennington is still awaiting his Test debut.
Wood's return follows the impressive performance of fellow 90mph bowler Gus Atkinson, who achieved remarkable match figures of 12 for 106 in the first Test at Lord's, ranking as the fourth-best performance by a debutant in Test history.
Shoaib Bashir, England's off-spinner, keeps his spot in the XI despite not bowling during the Lord's Test, which marked his first home appearance for the team.
**England's squad for the second Test:**
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir.
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