England vs New Zealand: Ollie Robinson ruled out of second Test

One option would be to bring in a specialist batsman – one of Jordan Cox or James Reeve – leaving England with four frontline bowlers, probably all seamers. From the trio of Matthew Fisher and the uncapped Sonny Baker and Henry Crowcombe, two will come into the team.

A reduced combination of the four-man attack would include three seamers as well as off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. It would be tough to drop Bashir, but he didn’t need to bowl at Lord’s and Surrey without a specialist spinner often playing home matches at the Oval.

Stokes’ all-round replacement will be leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, who will play his first home Test and bat at number seven. This will give England the option of one spinner and four seamers.

However, with Archer looking likely to bat at number eight, England have a long tail, perhaps with the hosts needing an extra batsman’s insurance. Stand-in captains Joe Root and Jacob Bethel could bowl spin.

A further complication for England is the imminent arrival of wicketkeeper Jamie Smith’s second child.

Smith misses the 2024 tour of New Zealand due to the birth of her first child and although England have said they expect her to play in the second Test, they have not ruled out the need for the 25-year-old to be with her partner.

Both Cox and Rew are wicketkeepers, so England have options and both could be in the playing XI without Smith. They can wait for a batting spot if Smith plays.

Somerset’s Rew was in the first Test squad, but Essex’s Cox had been in the Test squad before and was called up before Rew. Cox He scored a double century for Essex Saturday in the county championship.

Stokes, Atkinson and Robinson will all miss out on the Oval from the England squad that played at Lord’s and could join Bashir and Smith.

New Zealand followed their own dilemma sudden retirement Their all-time highest run scorer is Kane Williamson.

Batter Will Young joined the visiting team on Sunday as Williamson’s replacement.