With the marquee five-Test series against India just around the corner, England have named a 14-man squad for the first clash at Headingley on June 20.
Jamie Overton, Chris Woakes, and Brydon Carse have been recalled along with Jacob Bethell, who impressed during England’s tour of New Zealand earlier this year. Ben Stokes leads the side, supported by seasoned heads Joe Root and Ollie Pope. Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett also keep their places as openers, having scored runs against Zimbabwe recently.
However, England’s pace options remain a work-in-progress puzzle. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are unavailable through injury, while Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of at least the first Test with a hamstring issue.
Matthew Potts, who played in the Zimbabwe Test and featured in the recent ODIs against the West Indies, has been left out.
England Squad for 1st Test vs India
| Ben Stokes (capt) | Shoaib Bashir | Jacob Bethell | Harry Brook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brydon Carse | Sam Cook | Zak Crawley | Ben Duckett |
| Jamie Overton | Ollie Pope | Joe Root | Jamie Smith (wk) |
| Josh Tongue | Chris Woakes |
The India series promises to test England in every way despite the absences of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Headingley will set the tone for the blockbuster series, with India looking to usher in their new era of cricketers and England looking to finetune things for the Ashes later this year.
