England has named a 14-player squad for the first match of the Rothesay Test Series against India, which is set to begin on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.
Ben Stokes will lead the squad as captain and Surrey bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton returns to the Test line-up for the first time since earning his sole cap against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022.
The 31-year-old is still under close medical review after breaking his right little finger during the first One-Day International against the West Indies at Edgbaston last week.
Durham seamer Brydon Carse, as well as Warwickshire’s Jacob Bethell and Chris Woakes, were recalled after featuring in England’s Test tour of New Zealand in December.
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Carse even joked that he considered amputating a persistently troublesome toe before medical staff persuaded him to consider a less drastic solution, pointing out he would struggle with his balance. “It is a bit running joke in the changing room, my second toe. So we came up with the thought, ‘Can we just get rid of the second toe’?
“Everyone has had their opinion on my second toe. At one stage I was going to bed thinking ‘I could actually do this, I think I could get rid of my second toe’ but then the medical staff said you need it for balance so that was quickly ruled out.
Surrey’s Gus Atkinson was ruled out of selection due to a hamstring injury sustained during the one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month.
England will play five Test matches against India over the next couple of months, finishing on August 4 at the Kia Oval in London.
SQUAD
Ben Stokes, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes.
(With AFP inputs)
