Ashes 2023: 3 changes England can make to win second Test at Lord's

After losing the first Test of the Ashes 2023 at Edgbaston, England will look forward to making a comeback at Lord’s in the 2nd Test. The two-wicket defeat in the opening game brought England captain Ben Stokes under fierce criticism for his bold and early declaration in the first innings. Now, it will be interesting to see what will be England’s approach against the arch-rivals in the next game.

Amidst criticism from English media and several veterans of the game, skipper Stokes's endeavours will be to fix a few issues and bring his side back on the winning track. Following the loss in the Edgbaston Test, some changes might be seen in the second game to get the desired results.

Here are three changes England might do to win the Lord’s Test:

1. Keep faith in 'Bazball' but avoid early declarations

In the first innings of the opening game, England were looking confident with the bat and they were heading to post more than 400 runs on the board. However, Ben Stokes took a gutsy decision of declaring England’s innings on 393/8 with 20-odd minutes of play left in the day.

The England skipper’s decision raised eyebrows as Joe Root was standing at the crease on 118 and the veteran could’ve added more useful runs with Ollie Robinson, who had accumulated 17 runs off 31 deliveries.

Following the host’s two-wicket defeat, the former England captain Naseer Hussain questioned the requirement of Bazball in the Ashes, highlighting England's impressive record (playing the old-fashion way) in their own backyard while playing the Ashes since 2001. Naseer, who has been vocal against England's 'Bazball' approach, also highlighted England’s couple of losses this year after declaring early in their first innings.

However, despite facing criticism, it could be said that Stokes should stick to the BazBall style but avoid his habit of declaring the innings without assessing the situation. This year, during England’s tour of New Zealand in February, the Ben Stokes-led side lost to the Kiwi team after declaring their innings on 435 in the first innings of the second Test, at Basin Reserve.