Southampton pitch will be favourable for England and India seamers

India won at Lord’s on Monday in the second Test by 95 runs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series while a Lions squad was selected for the ODI build-up toward next year’s World Cup.

Nigel Gray, the head groundsman at Southampton, said the firm pitch for the third Test between England and India should favour the hosts. England will attempt to level the Test series after they lost Show more

England will have a second chance to perform well in favourable conditions against India when the third Test begins in Southampton on Sunday.

That is the view of Nigel Gray, the head groundsman at Hampshire’s Ageas Bowl, who are hosting the match.

India won at Lord’s on Monday in the second Test by 95 runs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series, despite the green wicket having been expected to favour the home side.

Gray told BBC Radio Solent of how the wicket was looking: “It’s firm, there is a covering of grass on it, so it is looking like it will be a good pitch to me.

“It won’t be as grassy as Lord’s was when that Test started, it will be much more like the Test we had against Sri Lanka three or four years ago, which was a good pitch,” he added. “It went through, there was a bit in it for the bowlers and the batsman can play their shots, so I’m expecting it to be very similar.”

The opening Test at Trent Bridge had proved to be something of a flat track, with only 29 wickets falling over the five days of the drawn encounter.

Gray added he was keen for there to be no repeat of that in Southampton, and what he desired was a fair fight.

“We want it to have a little bit of assistance for the seamers if possible rather than being a flat road. We want a decent balance between bat and ball.”

Lions squad selected for ODI series next month

Meanwhile, while England try to avoid a second successive home Test defeat, having lost to Sri Lanka 1-0 last month, one eye is already moving towards next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

A Lions squad, which will be coached by former England coach Andy Flower, was picked yesterday for one-day international series next month against New Zealand A and Sri Lanka A, to help potential players for the World Cup squad find form.

Among those included is Alex Hales, the opening batsman, who has impressed in the Twenty20 international format, but has yet to play in either a Test or one-day game for his country.

Hales, 25, said: “I’m looking forward to it, particularly as defending champions.

“I think it is a good idea heading back to 50 overs before the World Cup. My aim at the start of the season was to push for that 50-over World Cup squad.

“I think the selectors look closely at your four-day form too, so hopefully I’ve shown that I’m not just a T20 slogger and that I can go about compiling an innings in the right way.”

Of having Flowers at the helm, he said: “I think it’s brilliant – he is obviously an incredibly experienced cricketer and coach and I think it will be great for us young guys to have him around.”

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