SA vs ENG | Jonny Bairstow, James Anderson recalled for South Africa Tests
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have recalled Jonny Bairstow, James Anderson and Mark Wood for the four-match series in South Africa which begins on Boxing Day. Despite the rumours of Moeen Ali's return, the cricketer himself asked for an extended break from international cricket.
While Anderson and Wood missed the New Zealand tour due to injury, a poor Ashes resulted in Bairstow being dropped from the side to work on his red-ball game. However, all three went to South Africa last month as a part of the early training squad which might have helped them make their case for the final team. There has been a lot of excitement around what Wood brings to the table, but he is not currently deemed fit for selection as the England management hope he will recover sufficiently ahead of the first Test on December 26.
After a struggling English summer, Moeen Ali had requested an extended break from the Test team and further discussions with the England management lately helped him arrive at the conclusion that he should be given a little longer away from the international game. In all probability, the all-rounder is expected to play the Test series in Sri Lanka.
Moeen's absence, however, ensured that Matt Parkinson retained his spot in the side, as did Zak Crawley, who made his Test debut in the Hamilton Test against New Zealand. Anderson's return to the squad also had an adverse effect on Saqib Mahmood who is the only man from the Test squad in New Zealand to miss out from the 17-man squad for the South Africa series.
"With James Anderson and Mark Wood returning to the squad, Saqib Mahmood is the unfortunate player to miss out. It is not predicted that Mark Wood will be available for selection for the earliest matches. However, he will travel with the team and continue his rehab work with the medical staff on tour. There is no exact date given for his return, but the medical team is working towards him becoming fully available for selection during the tour," said National Selector Ed Smith, reported Cricinfo.
The Test series will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship and this will also be England's first Test championship match away from home.Â
