England head into the second Test at The Oval missing fast‑bowler Ollie Robinson, who was ruled out after a sore right knee was detected in training. The 32‑year‑old had taken seven wickets in the Lord’s victory, including a three‑wicket first over, before management questioned his durability. His absence joins the suspensions of captain Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, leaving the seam attack severely depleted.

England will retain Robinson in the squad but look to the bench for his spot. Jofra Archer, fresh from IPL duty, trained on Sunday and is expected to fill one seam slot. The selectors may bring in a specialist batsman such as Jordan Cox or James Rew, while off‑spinner Shoaib Bashir or leg‑spinner Rehan Ahmed could replace Stokes in the lineup.

New Zealand face their own upheaval after all‑time run‑scorer Kane Williamson announced retirement, prompting the inclusion of Will Young as his replacement. With three England bowlers unavailable, the hosts must reshuffle to field at least four seamers and a lower‑order spinner. The revised XI will test England’s depth ahead of the third Test at Trent Bridge.