England's seam stocks: Who's up and who's down ahead of West Indies decider?

Stuart Broad (6 wkts @ 18.00)

Words and deeds collided in some style in Manchester, as Broad channelled his righteous indignation after being dropped for the opening match of the summer. His rampage through West Indies' batting came in two crucial spells, spanning the back end of their first innings and the top of their second. Six of West Indies' designated top-seven fell in that time, with his fourth-evening burst of 3 for 1 in 14 balls deemed the match's key moment by Phil Simmons, West Indies' coach. England seem to have been planning for life after Broad for almost as long as his eight-year run of 51 home Tests in a row - the same one that came to an end at the Ageas Bowl. But he's simply not ready to surrender his status just yet.

Chris Woakes (5 wkts @ 15.20)

Seventy-five wickets at 22.90 in 20 appearances. Stick that on a good length and snick it. Not even James Anderson, England's Duke of the Dukes, can boast a better home Test average than the man dubbed England's "Mr Dependable" by Joe Root. And if that sounds like damnation with faint praise compared to Root's assessment of Ben Stokes as "Mr Incredible", then Woakes' landmark of 1000 runs and 100 wickets at Old Trafford was a quietly significant reminder of his merits. Neither Stokes nor Andrew Flintoff got to that mark in fewer Tests than Woakes' 34. Nor, shockingly, did Garry Sobers.

Jofra Archer (3 wkts @ 35.33)

The England management has made the right noises about standing by their errant player during his self-isolation period, but the fact remains that the squad is all in this together, putting up with an unusually tedious off-field regime for the greater good of the sport, and Archer's actions were a breach of trust as much as a breach of protocol. Nevertheless, he's likely to slot straight back into the team from which he had to be dropped last week, because England know how good he could be when he gets the measure of Test cricket. Archer's stats did not flatter him at the Ageas Bowl, but he shares with Stokes an ability to be the bowler that England need for any given situation: hit the seam with subtle movement in helpful conditions; hit the deck and the batsman in equal measure when the game needs a shake. He's averaged 28.12 in his first year of Test cricket without yet getting on the sort of roll that you know he'll produce sooner or later.

James Anderson (3 wkts @ 34.66)

Jimmy, Jimmy … what's to be done with Jimmy? Objectively speaking, there's no quibbling with his status as England's enduring attack leader. In his last three completed home seasons, Anderson has hoovered up 102 wickets at 15.84, including seven of his England-record haul of 28 five-fors and one of his three ten-fors. His mastery of seam and swing is unparalleled, and his hunger to keep pushing on beyond his next landmark of 600 Test wickets is tangible. And yet, it's increasingly hard to make any exceptions for a man who is now a week shy of his 38th birthday, and whose body is beginning to protest at his 152-Test workload. Anderson has featured in just four of England's last 14 Tests, and broke down midway through the third of those in South Africa after Christmas. If England were not so laden with options, you'd be tempted to bowl him until he drops. Right now, however, there's simply no need.

Sam Curran (3 wkts @ 33.33)

Sam Curran "makes things happen". Check Twitter if you don't believe it. That search term alone will keep you scrolling for the duration of the third Test. His left-arm irritants are a set batsman's nightmare - every ball on a skiddy full length, demanding a decision, risking a misjudgement if it nips off the seam, or tails through the air, or does none of the above and just thuds straight on. Picking a player as a specialist No. 8 and fourth seamer may seem hard to quantify, but Curran has won each of his eight home Tests since 2018, and is one of the four 22-year-olds in the current team on whom the next decade could be built. His stock continues to rise, even if his current opportunities do not.

Mark Wood (2 wkts @55.00)

England's "jam tomorrow" selection. Hindsight suggests that Wood's inclusion on a sluggish deck at the Ageas Bowl was a mistake, but then again, he'd been Man of the Match in two of his previous three overseas Tests, and in the process served up some of the most scorching exocets ever unleashed by an England bowler. It would have sent a curious message to omit him. Besides, this is squad with big ambitions for the coming years, not least England's return to Australia to avenge their drubbings on their last two Ashes tours. Wood's form and fitness will be a critical factor in that campaign. The latter can and will be managed with due care, but the former does require him to feature in the interim, even on surfaces that might not always suit his methods.

Of the trio of unused quicks in England's ranks, Robinson came the closest to a call-up in the second Test, as he was drafted into the squad but didn't make the final cut. He impressed with his deck-hitting discipline in the intra-squad warm-up, and could yet be trialled as the sort of third-seam option that England haven't really replicated since Toby Roland-Jones went lame before the last Ashes tour. Craig Overton cut his teeth on that trip in Roland-Jones' absence, but has perhaps impressed with his Test-match temperament more than his actual performances to date. Stone, the quickest of the trio, may have to wait until Wood has another of his periodic niggles before he gets a run-out.