Nathan Lyon's 'bunny' - Moeen Ali - faces the axe, as England's selectors mull how to piece together a team capable of squaring the Ashes series against Australia at Lord's.
Joe Root defended the selection of an underdone Jimmy Anderson, who re-injured his right calf after four overs on day one, and promised selectors would "not make too many emotional decisions" after a "frustrating" defeat at Edgbaston.
One-day opener Jason Roy's ungainly dismissal to Lyon, in which he skipped down the pitch and was clean bowled, would have done little to convince selectors he could successfully make the leap to the longest format.
England's attack will need to be rejigged, if Anderson misses the second test, as expected.
Jofra Archer will likely be promoted at Anderson's expense, although selectors will be keen to see how the would-be test debutant pulls up, after rolling his arm over in a red-ball comeback with Sussex's second XI.
Moeen - whose day-four struggles looked even poorer, after Lyon spun Australia to victory on the final day - may also make way for left-arm tweaker Jack Leach in the Lord's match.
When pressed on Moeen, Root failed to guarantee the off-spinning allrounder would face Australia next week.
"Moeen didn't have his best day yesterday, Root said. "You've got to remember how threatening he can be and what an asset he has been to this team in the past.
"Whenever written off before, he generally comes back stronger... especially in English conditions.
"He'll be a bit disappointed... but I'm sure he'll dust himself down and make sure he's in a good headspace going into Lord's."
Moeen struggled with bat and ball in his hometown of Birmingham, twice falling to Lyon, while recording match bowling figures of 3/172.
Lyon has now dismissed his counterpart in nine of their past 11 meetings.
Meanwhile, Root insisted he had no regrets about 37-year-old Anderson returning from a calf injury in such a high-stakes contest.
"No, not at all, he passed every medical testing," Root said.
"He was fit to play. It's one of those freak scenarios... it's the same calf, but we're not sure whether it's a slightly different injury.
"It's an easy thing to look back on and say we'd have done things differently, [but] it was a unanimous decision for him to play.
"Jimmy, in those conditions, if he bowls 15 overs then... it's a different game completely."
Root suggested selectors and medicos would need to make a "calculated" decision about whether Archer, who suffered a side strain during the World Cup, is ready to return.
AAP
