Have your say: England could change series-winning line-up with busy schedule in mind

England are considering resting the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad for the third Test against the West Indies after yesterday wrapping up the series with a nine-wicket win at Trent Bridge.

Following victory at Lord’s in the opening match, Andrew Strauss’s side hold an unassailable 2-0 lead going into the concluding fixture at Edgbaston on June 7.

England would not ordinarily consider withdrawing key men at such an early stage of the summer – and often prefer to make changes to limited-overs squads rather than Test teams – but with a packed schedule ahead, Strauss and the national selectors are looking at their options.

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A limited-overs series against the West Indies is next, followed by a one-day series against Australia and a full tour by South Africa. After that comes the defence of the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka and four Tests in India.

“We’ll definitely think about changes,” said Strauss, after top-scoring with 45 in his side’s successful chase of 108 on day four in Nottingham.

“We’ve always viewed resting and rotating as something you have to do on a case-by-case basis so we’ll speak to the seamers, see how they’re feeling and see how we’re looking for the rest of the summer.

“You always have to look quite a long way ahead when it comes to potentially resting someone.

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“It’s always a balance to strike because primarily you want to win every Test you play: that’s the starting point.

“We’ll have a conversation about it in the coming days.”

In Steven Finn and Graham Onions, England have two high-class performers ready to step in at a moment’s notice and England would appreciate seeing the pair in Test action again.

But Strauss made sure to stop short of confirming England would make changes.

“It’s a difficult situation and I certainly wouldn’t want to nail my colours to the mast one way or the other,” he said. “At this stage we have to sit down, think it through rationally and decide what the best course of action is, both for the Test match and for the long-term prospects of the team over the summer.”

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One man who has no desire to be caught up in any rotation policy is Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan.

His place was under threat from Finn in the build-up to the Second Test but he responded with a man-of-the-match performance, taking eight wickets and scoring an important 39 not out to stabilise England’s first innings.

He also took his remarkable winning streak as a Test cricketer to 13 games in a row.

Asked how he felt about England shuffling their pack, he said: “From a personal point of view I’ve got five (days’ rest) and that’s ample time to recover from the last two weeks.

“I thoroughly expect to be fresh and available for selection.”

Test match report and scoreboard: Page 18.