B
y the time an Ashes series in this country reaches Manchester we are generally entering the last laps of the contest. Old Trafford is the traditional venue for the penultimate match of a five or six-match home series against Australia — a role it has fulfilled 13 times in 27 since 1899 — so it is not uncommon that by the time we get here both XIs look rather different from those envisaged at the start of the summer.
Test series of this length rarely run smoothly and captains, coaches and selectors have to manage their resources creatively if their sides are to remain competitive. There has been a fair bit of chopping and changing already and there will be more before we are done.
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