ENG vs WI, 2nd Test: Joe Denly Dropped As Joe Root Comes Back To Lead Hosts At Old Trafford

Root who missed out on playing the series opener at Southampton on account of being with his wife for her delivery, makes a comeback in place of opener Joe Denly for the second #raisethebat Test against the West Indies

Joe Root

England's seasoned skipper Joe Root will be back to lead the hosts in the second of the 3-match Test series against the West Indies which gets underway at the Old Trafford Ground in Manchester, later in the day. The match is set to commence at 3:30 pm (IST). Root who missed out on playing the series opener at Southampton on account of being with his wife for her delivery, makes a comeback in place of opener Joe Denly for the second #raisethebat Test. England, who were led by all-rounder Ben Stokes in the absence of their regular Test skipper Root, lost the series opener by four-wicket to the Jason Holder-captained Windies team at the Ageas Bowl. Meanwhile, Zak Crawley , who got a look in for Root, retained his place while Denly was axed for his poor form, as per a Sky Sports report. The 22-year old Crawley made a meaningful contribution of 76 in England's second innings in Southampton while Denly, failed to notch up runs in both the innings, managing scores of 18 and 29 only. Root told reporters on Wednesday as quoted by Sky Sports: "It's never an easy decision, never easy having to leave someone out. With Denly, he's done a brilliant job for us over a period of time -- he's helped show our identity as a side and how we played moving forward. The West Indies are holders of the Wisden Trophy after beating England in a home series last year, so will retain it with a draw in the first of back-to-back tests in Manchester. There will be changes to the bowling attack, too, after England chose to give pacemen Jimmy Anderson and Mark Wood a rest. Experienced seamer Stuart Broad is likely to get the nod in the playing XI after being overlooked in the series opener at Southampton. The seasoned seamer then speaking publicly about his disappointment during the match.Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Sam Curran is another option after being added to the squad. "He'll be as frustrated as anyone that he's not been able to convert those opportunities. You watch Zak's progression since he's been involved in the team and his game has continued to get stronger."