Kent’s Zak Crawley has been named in the England squad for the opening two Tests of the upcoming series in India.
Named in the England side to face Sri Lanka for the Second Test this week, the Kent batsman has been rewarded with a place on the India tour after impressing in the past twelve months.
Crawley is expected to once again open the batting in the Second Test in Sri Lanka, but is set to drop to number three for the India series with Rory Burns set to open alonside Dom Sibley.
In all, the England National Selectors have named a 16-strong squad and six travelling reserves for the first and second Test matches against India starting on Friday 5th February at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
England Men’s Test Squad:
Joe Root (Yorkshire) (captain), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).
Reserves:
James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Amar Virdi (Surrey).
Jofra Archer, Rory Burns and Ben Stokes return to the squad. Archer and Stokes were rested for the Sri Lanka series and Burns was at home for the birth of his first child.
Surrey’s Ollie Pope will travel to India and will be added to the squad when passed fit. Pope is recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in September during the Test series against Pakistan.
The National Selectors have provided a block of rest for Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood. The three players, who are currently in Sri Lanka, will miss the first and second Tests in India.
This is consistent with the selection policy of finding a block of rest for all multi-format players at some point during post-Christmas winter schedule.
With Archer and Stokes returning, and subject to fitness of the rest of the squad, Somerset’s Craig Overton will return home after the Sri Lanka series.
England Tour of India
Tests
Friday 5-9 February: 1st Test – India v England, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Saturday 13-17 February: 2nd Test – India v England, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Wednesday 24-28 February: 3rd Test – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Thursday 4-8 March: 4th Test – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
T20Is
Friday 12 March: 1st T20I – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Sunday 14 March: 2nd T20I – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Tuesday 16 March: 3rd T20I – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Thursday 18 March: 4th T20I – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
Saturday 20 March: 5th T20I – India v England, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad
ODIs
Tuesday 23 March: 1st ODI – India v England, MCA Stadium, Pune
Friday 26 March: 2nd ODI – India v England, MCA Stadium, Pune
Sunday 28 March: 3rd ODI – India v England, MCA Stadium, Pune
Monday 29 March: Touring party departs India