Ollie Pope stepped into the captaincy for the fifth time in his career, and while he jokingly asked Ben Stokes for the team’s premium hotel suite, he knew full well that leading in Stokes’ absence was going to be an uphill task. Stokes the captain is hard to replace—but Stokes the all-rounder is irreplaceable.
As the final Test at The Oval plays out, England finds itself in a corner. A series marred by tight scheduling and injuries has pushed both teams to the brink, but England in particular looks worn out. They’ve bowled over 300 more overs than India and have suffered for it.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚,” 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅’𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
India, despite injury setbacks to Rishabh Pant and Nitish Kumar Reddy, and limited appearances from Jasprit Bumrah, have managed their squad more efficiently. As England began day four at 50/0 chasing 374, hope briefly flickered. However, the late loss of Zak Crawley on day three tilted momentum India’s way.
A Battle of Resources, Not Just Talent
India could end the series at 2-2, having won both matches without Bumrah—an indicator of how well they’ve utilized their bench. England, in contrast, have struggled to maintain a consistent attack. Mark Wood and Olly Stone missed the entire summer, and young backups like Josh Hull and Sonny Baker were never truly match-ready.
Chris Woakes, the oldest member of the squad, was tasked with playing all five Tests. His shoulder injury, while unforeseen, brings into question whether 36-year-old pacers should be pushing limits just to chase balls to the boundary—something Brendon McCullum demands of his side.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈,” 𝒂 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅.
This left Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, and Jamie Overton to carry the load. All three gave everything, especially on Saturday. Atkinson bowled nearly 49 overs, Tongue 46—career highs for both. Overton, though less effective, saw three chances dropped and arguably had little support from the conditions.
Selection Dilemmas and Missed Opportunities
Tongue’s performance stood out—he claimed a five-wicket haul and ended the series as England’s top wicket-taker, despite playing only three matches. Atkinson, meanwhile, looked refreshed and ready for future Tests, possibly even opening the attack in the Ashes.
Overton, however, was a puzzling selection. With only two first-class wickets in four games over two years, his inclusion over Matthew Potts or Sam Cook raised eyebrows. Potts, despite a central contract and international experience, has been sidelined without clear explanation. Cook struggled on debut against Zimbabwe but has been a domestic standout.
If England has moved on from Potts and Cook, options are scarce. Ollie Robinson is both injured and reportedly out of favor. James Anderson is retired. Dan Worrall? A call-up would have sparked outrage in Australia.
In the end, Overton may have been the only viable option. But if England falls short at The Oval, much will be made of their injury mismanagement, bowling fatigue, and team selection.
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