Cricket News: England to take on WI in 2nd test in Manchester

England have dropped batsman Joe Denly and rested pace bowlers James Anderson and Mark Wood for the second Test against West Indies. All-rounder Sam Curran and uncapped Sussex fast bowler Ollie Robinson have been named in a 13-man squad. Denly, 34, averages 29.53 in 15 matches, and was out for 18 and 29 in the first Test loss in Southampton. Captain Joe Root returns at Old Trafford and will bat at four, with Zak Crawley moving up to number three. Root missed the first Test following the birth of his second child. The squad for the second Test, which begins on Thursday, means pace bowler Stuart Broad is in line for a recall after being omitted in favour of Anderson, Wood and Jofra Archer in Southampton. With England playing six Tests in the space of seven weeks, their fast bowlers were always likely to be rotated, with Chris Woakes also coming into contention to play in Manchester. Robinson has taken 236 wickets in 56 first-class matches at an average of 22.33, and was part of the England Lions team that defeated Australia A down under earlier this year. West Indies, who have won four of their past six Tests against England, are now on the verge of a first series win in the UK since a 4-0 victory in 1988, when legends Sir Viv Richards, Desmond Haynes, Gordon Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall were in the side. In a latest update ahead of the 2nd test England pacer Jofra Archer has been excluded from the squad against West Indies after breaching the bio-secure protocols.