London, Feb 11 (IANS) England have recalled opener Keaton Jennings and wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes for next month’s Sri Lanka tour.
Jonny Bairstow was dropped and James Anderson was left at home to continue his recovery while Moeen Ali remains unavailable.
“The South Africa tour marked the emergence of a very exciting group of young players, creating a nice balance with an experienced core of senior players,” national selector Ed Smith was quoted as saying by the BBC.
“That squad is mostly retained, with some tweaks relevant to injury, rest and the challenges of playing in subcontinent conditions.
“Jonny Bairstow has been in England squads across the three formats without a significant break. This two-Test tour presents a good opportunity for Jonny to be rested.
“Moeen Ali is still unavailable for Test selection. The selectors are in consistent dialogue with Moeen and he remains a valued player in England cricket.”
England Test squad: Joe Root (captain), Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
–IANS
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