West Indies vs England: England consider Mark Wood or Adil Rashid for final Test

Mark Wood has impressed the England hierarchy on his first tour

Mark Wood (GETTY IMAGES)

England are facing the vintage dilemma of whether to change a winning team. They are likely to choose the vintage solution and resist the idea for the third Test against West Indies on Friday.

The pitch is hard, dry, bereft of grass and looks ready for playing on already. It is likely to be faster than the first two surfaces of the series, in Antigua and Grenada, and there are optimistic suspicions that it will take turn towards the end.

Hence, Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, was enthused enough to talk yesterday of potential amendments to the team that won the second Test by nine wickets thrillingly and unexpectedly last Saturday.

“On the basis that there will be more bounce, it keeps all options open,” he said. “It’s possible two spinners could play, it was talked about long and hard before the last game.”

That would open the way for Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire leg spinner, whom England may feel under some pressure to select since they turned down his county’s cheeky request to send him home from the tour. Farbrace talked up the prospects just in case.

“The progression he has made in the last few weeks has been excellent,” Farbrace said. “He adds hugely to your batting as well. He is a fine player and has put himself into a really good position.”

If not two spinners, then England could possibly add an extra dimension with one of the two quickest bowlers in the party, Liam Plunkett or Mark Wood, coming in. Both would give batsmen the hurry up, both may prosper if the ball carries.

Farbrace said: “It’s Wood’s first tour and he has impressed everyone. He has high skill level with the ball – he swings the ball both ways with genuine pace.

“When Plunkett came back into the side last year he was very impressive and bowled with good pace on dead pitches. He would be more than ready to go if selected.”

But the key lies in who England would omit. Given that Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are always in situ (the latter with perhaps slightly less permanence than the former) either Chris Jordan or Ben Stokes would need to give way. That is a step that England are wary of taking.

“The one thing certainly that has been discussed and will continue to be discussed is that Jordan and Stokes are two people we want to keep developing,” Farbrace said. “We saw last year when Jordan and Woakes stayed in the side through the Indian series what progress they made just by playing them, although they might be similar players.”

The other side of that coin is that they will never know if Rashid or Wood are ready for playing Test cricket until they have had a crack. Perversely, had England been held to a draw in Grenada last week, change would have been much easier to contemplate. It would have been demanded.

The pair have been exemplary tourists. Rashid has upped his pace after regular briefings with the team’s batsmen, Wood has surprised some experienced batsmen with his ability to swing the ball both ways. But it seems they will have to wait awhile – though not, it is be hoped, until Australia hit town for the Ashes, which would be an unnecessary baptism by fire.