Mark Wood’s fitness and Moeen Ali to come back in – Which fast bowlers will England pick at Headingley?

The dilemma England must weigh up in selecting their bowlers for this Test is that they have to play three more in quick succession and cannot afford to lose any of them. Headingley starts four days after the end of the Lord’s Test, with an eight-day gap between third and fourth Tests, and then another three-day turnaround before the Kia Oval. They must balance playing the bowling attack most likely to win them matches, while ensuring those same bowlers also remain fresh for the remaining Tests. Three bowlers have been part of England’s attack for both matches so far and, while their bodies must be in need of some time off, they make up England’s best attack.

A 15-man squad has been selected for Headingley with Matthew Potts missing the cut from the 17 that were selected for the first two. That’s one less option from which to choose. Given that Rehan Ahmed has also been released as Moeen Ali’s cover, that suggests the off-spinner’s finger is healed and ready to go. All the signs are that there will be a different bowling attack at Headingley from what has been seen so far. With this in mind, here are the options.

Who makes way for a spinner?

There is a scenario in which Moeen doesn’t come back into the XI at all. England have set the precedent for going into a match without one and Joe Root was effective in the first innings at Lord’s. However, it’s more likely England will want to go into the game with him in their ranks. Their tail looked excessively long at Lord’s and, while Chris Woakes could also boost their batting, Moeen has the bonus of adding variety with the ball.

Josh Tongue came in for Moeen at Lord’s, but after his impressive showing England may trust him with back-to-back Tests. It will depend on what they want the balance of their three-seam attack to be, and the fitness of Mark Wood, as to who misses out. On performance alone, that one to leave out would probably be Anderson, who has three wickets at 75.33 in the series so far. A tough call on England’s best ever bowler but possibly the right one.

Mark Wood

All the signs are pointing towards Wood being fit for Headingley. England will be desperate for their quickest bowler to be back in the game, especially if they persist with the short-pitched bowling plan. The most like-for-like spot for Wood to slot into would be Tongue’s. However, Tongue was effective against Australia’s top order and England could choose to field him alongside Wood. In that case, assuming Moeen also plays, they would choose one of Anderson, Robinson, Woakes or Broad for the last spot, with the choice probably coming down to Broad and Robinson.

If Wood isn’t fit, Josh Tongue will almost certainly retain his spot in the side. That will mean two places will be up for grabs among Broad, Robinson, Woakes and Anderson – assuming Moeen also plays.

Will Woakes finally make a return?

Chris Woakes hasn’t played a Test match since March 2022. If he is to play at Headingley, it would probably either be as part of a four-seam attack or in the scenario that Wood still isn’t available. Even then, that looks somewhat unlikely. Another path for Woakes finding his way back could also be Tongue missing out for Wood. Then he would be fighting it out for two spots against Robinson, Anderson and Broad. But, even then, it seems more likely that England will go with their premier options in a high stakes scenario, and more of a gap before the fourth Test for them to rest.