Root returns as England drop Denly

LONDON: England have dropped batsman Joe Denly and rested pacemen James Anderson and Mark Wood for the second Test.

Root missed last week´s four-wicket loss in the first Test following the arrival of his second child. But the star batsman has slotted back into the side for the Test at Old Trafford.

The hosts, who face a gruelling schedule of six Tests in seven weeks, including three against Pakistan, have decided to give Anderson and Wood, who both played at Southampton, a break.

Stuart Broad, controversially dropped for the series opener, returns.

Left-arm paceman Sam Curran has also been recalled while Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson has been included in a Test squad for the first time.

"It´s never an easy decision, never easy having to leave someone out," Root told a conference call on Wednesday.