England have made four changes for their Rothesay Series decider against New Zealand but Ollie Robinson has been overlooked.
There were five changes and three debutants as they crashed to a 253-run defeat at the Kia Oval last week, with Robinson the only one of the absent quintet not returning despite his player-of-the-match showing in the first Test.
Captain Ben Stokes and seamer Gus Atkinson are back after being stood down in the aftermath of what became a dramatic night out at a London nightclub, while wicketkeeper Jamie Smith reclaims the gloves from James Rew following the birth of his second child.
Spinner Shoaib Bashir, who did not bowl a single over in his previous appearance at Lord’s, edges Robinson out with extreme heat this week expected to favour a slow bowler.
Atkinson, Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer are the preferred seam bowling unit, leaving Robinson in the cold once again.
The 32-year-old took career-best figures of seven for 77 on a bowler-friendly pitch at Lord’s, including a sensational triple-wicket maiden in his first Test over in more than two years.
But he subsequently withdrew from the the second Test due to a right knee injury. Having recalled him to the side, England repeatedly said Robinson had nothing to prove with the ball in hand but did have to persuade them that his body was robust enough to withstand the rigours of five-day cricket.
Dropping out after getting through just 23.5 overs at the home of cricket was an unfortunate postscript to his outstanding work with the new ball and, despite being passed fit for duty in Nottingham, England have chosen to look elsewhere. Atkinson, Archer and Tongue are all quicker through the air than Robinson, though offer less nuance and subtlety.
Head coach Brendon McCullum is hoping a side showing 10 of the players that secured a 115-run win in the series opener can put the subsequent thrashing of an inexperienced outfit in the past.
“I think we saw at Lord’s a significant improvement from where we were previously. They were tricky conditions but we navigated the surface and opposition brilliantly,” he said.
“We adjusted our game and were relentless with the ball, and our execution was as good as it could be. That was significant progress from where we were as a side. It was a nice evolution.
“Last week was what it was. This week we want to get back closer to where we were at Lord’s.”
