England Announce Playing 11 For 3rd Ashes Test At Headingley; Anderson Dropped, Mark Wood And Chris Woakes Return

James Anderson has been dropped while Mark Wood, Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali return in England playing 11 for the 3rd Ashes Test vs Australia at Headingley.

England have announced the playing 11 for the 3rd Ashes Test at Headingley. The team has dropped star pacer James Anderson and youngster Josh Tongue, with Chris Woakes and Mark Wood making a comeback. The team has also brought in all-rounder Moeen Ali to replace injured batter Ollie Pope.

Anderson has not been effective on the flat tracks that England have produced in the series so far. Josh Tongue did manage to take five wickets in the second Test, dismissing Steve Smith twice but England have decided to opt for the extra pace of Mark Wood.

There were rumours that Dan Lawrence might replace Ollie Pope in the playing 11 after the batter was ruled out of the series following a shoulder injury, however, England decided to bring back the experienced Moeen Ali for the must-win game.

? We can confirm our XI for the third Ashes Test in Leeds…

Three changes from Lord’s…

↩️ Ollie Pope
↩️ Josh Tongue
↩️ Jimmy Anderson

↪️ Moeen Ali
↪️ Mark Wood
↪️ Chris Woakes#EnglandCricket | #Ashes

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 5, 2023

Ricky Ponting Predicted James Anderson’s Omission From The Playing 11 For 3rd Test

Anderson’s omission does not come as a surprise as Aussie veteran Ricky Ponting had already predicted his ouster from the playing 11.

“He (Anderson) looked like the most disappointing bowler for England so far,” Ponting had said on ICC review. “What you expect from James Anderson is when he’s got that new ball in his hand, he’s taking early wickets, he’s moving the ball, and he’s not going for any runs. We haven’t seen that in the series so far.

“And that’s not a direct criticism of James Anderson. He’s been one of the all-time greats of the game, his longevity and his wicket-taking ability, but if I was looking at the bowlers I saw last week, I think he’s the one that’s looked to have the least amount of penetration.

“(Ollie) Robinson’s had less penetration, but he’s probably actually bowled a bit better. He’s been in control of the game more than Anderson has.”

England Playing 11: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes (capt), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Stuart Broad.