How Woakes didn’t play this game is beyond me - given his slight extra mph, batting ability (esp in absence of Moeen), and his semi status as ”Lords specialist“. Would’ve loved to have seen him over Robinson.
I don’t rate Moeen highly as a red ball bowler so Root being main spinner was acceptable to me, only a shame he was hardly used for a good while. Sounds strange, but I really feel like Brook could be an important bowler for some tight economical bowling.
Liam Dawson has just had a match to remember, scoring 141 in his only batting innings before taking 6-40 and 6-90 (f/o). Surely a contender for the final 3 Tests as the only good spinner without a career to have ruined at 18 or 24 as per all other options.
At Headingley I’d like to see Anderson + Robinson rested for Old Trafford, with Dawson, Woakes, Broad and Wood playing. I’d love to see Sam Curran brought into the squad for the next 3 Tests, with a particular impact to be had at The Oval.
On the note of substitutions, I get the impression that England call-ups or releases from squads are allowed reasons for substitutions - in this case Potts was released from the Ashes squad for this game. I seem to remember Liam Dawson being subbed out of a County game in 2019 for his World Cup call-up, which hadn’t been expected given Joe Denly was the reserve spinner in the preliminary squad. I presume the situation was the same for James Vince and Jofra Archer, who had the same situation of being called up despite not being in the prelim squad, in for Alex Hales and David Willey.
On the subject of Daniel Bell-Drummond, I have felt sorry for him in the past. To my recollection, he was forced out of his opening position, first by England who were making Crawley an opener rather than a no.3, then by the emergence of Ben Compton in the Kent side, so it’s good to see DBD make a good score from 3.