Visakhapatnam: After taking a 1-0 lead in the bilateral series against India, England has announced their playing XI for the second fixture of the series. Experienced pacer James Anderson has returned to the playing XI while Shoaib Bashir will make his Test debut.
Pacer James Anderson has replaced Mark Wood for the fixture while off-break Shoaib Bashir has substituted an injured left-arm spinner, Jack Leach. The pacer is only 10 wickets away from joining the elite club of bowlers with 700 or more Test wickets, which includes legendary Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. Bashir will make his debut in the fixture as Leach will not be able to take part in the match.
"He's (Leach) ruled out of the second Test," Stokes said. "Unfortunately, the knock he took resulted in a haematoma in his leg. It's a big shame for us, a big shame for Jack, obviously after a long time out of the game with his back," added Stokes.
Bashir has played six first-class fixtures so far and has picked 10 wickets at an economy rate of 3.30. Bashir was supposed to join the England squad ahead of the first Test but he flew back home after a delay in issuing his visa.
England coach Brendon McCullum had hinted before the game that visitors can opt for an all-spin unit in the upcoming game but Leach's injury has spoiled that possibility. Leading the series by 1-0, England would aim to extend their lead while the hosts would like to level the series by inking a victory.
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