England drop Jonny Bairstow, hand maiden call-up to four players for New Zealand Tests
Jonny Bairstow has been excluded from the England Test squad that will be travelling to New Zealand in a couple of months’ time after a string of dismal performances in the format. Meanwhile, four uncapped players have received the call for duty as the team battles with injuries and inconsistency.
England on Monday announced the list of players that would be visiting the New Zealand islands to play the Kiwi in a five-match T20 series, followed by a couple of Tests in November-December. However, the Tests do not form a part of the World Test Championship which has given the team some leeway to try and experiment with their squad.
Wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow has been dropped from the game’s longest format after an underwhelming Ashes in what was the most recent of a series of disappointing performances. The 29-year-old averages a lowly 20.25 in international red-ball cricket in 2019 and will have to wait to add to his tally of 69 caps. However, he has retained his place in the T20 squad.
Meanwhile, the selectors have cast their gaze on Dominic Sibley as the latest possible solution to their opener’s woes, after Jason Roy’s embarrassing numbers in the series against Australia. Sibley has more than 1,000 runs to his name in domestic first-class cricket in 2019. Zak Crawley is not that far behind to becoming the second batsman to breach the 1,000 run mark in the year, with 820 runs to his name which has earned him a call-up.
With James Anderson still in recovery, Saqib Mahmood has been given a chance to prove himself after having picked up 22 scalps for Lancashire in the summer. His County teammate and fellow 22-year-old Matt Parkinson completes the list of call-ups, as the leg-spinner has only two wickets less than the pacer. Ollie Pope, who made his debut against India in 2018, has also been recalled on the back of impressive domestic performances.
Meanwhile, youngsters Tom Banton and Pat Brown, who impressed in the T20 Blast, have been included in the T20 squad.
England Test squad
Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
England T20 Squad
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) captain, Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent), Pat Brown (Worcestershire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), James Vince (Hampshire)
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