A squad of 16 players has been selected by England for the three-match Test series against New Zealand, which begins in Christchurch on November 28. Having played 20 first-class matches in his career, with 738 runs and seven wickets to his credit, Jacob Bethell, who made his ODI and T20I debuts earlier this year, has been called up for the series.
Ollie Pope, the vice captain, has held onto his position. In the three-match series against Pakistan, he only managed to score 55 runs, and his position was in doubt. The young player was supported by the team management, nevertheless. Pope will be under pressure to perform now that Bethell is a member of the team.
Additionally, Bethell’s inclusion shows that the team has moved past Jonny Bairstow. Since his 100th Test match against India in Dharamshala earlier this year, the flashy hitter has not been a part of the Test team and is still not involved.
It’s interesting to note that even though the surfaces in New Zealand aren’t known to help spinners, England has selected three spinners in Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir, and Rehan Ahmed. Chris Woakes, a seasoned all-rounder who has performed mediocrely in international settings, has also been included. The pacers are Bryson Carse, Gus Atkinson, Olly Stone, and Matthew Potts.
Despite their failure in Pakistan, the batting unit will remain the main emphasis. Ben Stokes, captain, is going through a difficult time and will be under pressure to recover.
Also Read: Pakistan announces squad for Australia series; Babar and Shaheen return, Fakhar Zaman dropped
Even Joe Root and Harry Brook, who had a terrific time against Pakistan in the first Test match in Multan, lost as the series progressed.
England squad for New Zealand Tests
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Bryson Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes
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