Ian Salisbury takes over from Min Patel as the sole spinner on the ground where he made a debut rich in so far unfulfilled promise against Pakistan four years ago.
Nick Knight, having proved his fitness and form against the touring team last week, returns to vie with Alec Stewart for the right to open the batting with Michael Atherton. Otherwise, those who battled out the draw with India at Trent Bridge are retained.
Serious doubt remains, unfortunately, about the one batsman who played an innings of true command in that match, Nasser Hussain.
He was planning to test the knuckle of the index finger of his right hand, broken soon after reaching his second Test hundred against India two weeks ago, in Essex's Sunday League match yesterday. The expectations are that he will struggle to be fit for Thursday, in which case Stewart would bat at number three, the position to which, in my view, this most versatile and accommodating cricketer is best suited anyway.
If Hussain recovers more quickly than is feared, Stewart might yet be preferred to Knight as Atherton's partner.
There is a possibility, too, that Brown might take the new ball. His role for the time being, although it is not officially stated as such, seems to be only as cover for Chris Lewis, who strained a muscle in his right thigh when diving to regain his crease whilst batting against Sussex at Guildford on Friday. He was unable to bowl the next day, which is ominous.
If Lewis has not fully recovered, England could play two fast left-arm over bowlers in a Test for the first time. Bill Voce and Nobby Clark never played together, nor Jeff Jones and J. K. Lever, the two best practitioners of the art since. Jones, fast and hostile, equates to Mullally; Lever to Brown, who has all of that skilful Essex bowler's attributes. He swings the ball, always; he has a stamina which belies a lean frame; and he can be sharp enough to hustle the best opening batsman with a short ball used sparingly but effectively.
An opening combination of Brown and Dominic Cork, one swinging it in and angling it across, the other swinging it out and nipping it back, appeals to me as one which would test the best in the world.
Brown has taken 56 wickets this season, to add to the 262 taken at 33 before this season. Those may be modest figures but they need to be put into the context of an uncertain start at Northampton, where he never established a regular place despite his obvious ability, and as the standard-bearer in a Durham attack over 4.5 seasons of championship cricket, during which they have almost always been up against it.