Teams usually announce their playing XI at the toss, immediately before a match. However, some teams, such as England and Australia, make their announcement a little earlier, sometimes a couple of days prior to the game. This raises a question, why do they do so? England announced their playing XI for the second Test of the five-match series against India on Monday. The match will start on Wednesday, July 2, at Edgbaston, Birmingham, as part of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Also Read | Joe Root’s Test Record at Edgbaston vs India What Do the Rules Say About Team Announcement? According to rules of Test cricket, both teams have to submit their final team list in writing to the match referee prior to the toss. Technically, therefore, teams can wait for the toss and then declare their XI. But teams do prefer to declare it in advance for reasons that are mentioned below in this article. England and Australia follow this strategy. Both of these veteran Test-playing teams tend to announce their playing XI one or two days in advance of the match's commencement. here are few reasons of why these teams do so: It assists in controlling the workload of the players and planning more effectively. Teams like Australia and England, when playing in their backyard, announce it earlier to let the remaining players play the domestic cricket scheduled during the same time-frame. It generates buzz among the media and keeps the spectators interested. It can put pressure on the opposition by taking away the surprise factor. It also indicates confidence in their selection and strategy. In doing so, teams can hope to intimidate their opponents and get an upper hand psychologically. Also Read | Moeen Ali Joins England Nets Ahead of 2nd Test vs India Does India Adopt This Practice? India tends to wait until the toss to announce their playing XI. However, in a few big games such as the World Test Championship (WTC) final or during a prominent overseas tour, India has pre-announced the team. Regarding the second Test in Birmingham, supporters will probably have to wait until Wednesday's toss to learn India's XI.