In preparation for the three-match series against the West Indies, which begins on Wednesday, July 10 at the Lord’s in London, England has announced a 14-man squad for the first two Tests. Dillon Pennington and Jamie Smith, who are uncapped, have made their way into the team.
Pennington, a right-arm pacer of promise, is currently leading Nottinghamshire with 29 wickets at an average of 23.03 in the present Division I County Championship. At an average of 27.26, he has claimed 169 wickets in 52 First-Class matches.
Jamie Smith, on the other hand, has amassed 507 runs at an average of 50.70 in the Championship. Smith is a naturally aggressive wicketkeeper-batter. Smith, in contrast to Pennington, has played for the Three Lions before, though in a different format. Last November, in two One-Day Internationals, the 23-year-old took on Ireland. Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow were left off the squad, thus Smith will play in his first Test match at Lord’s.
Notable faces absent from the pack include Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, and Mark Wood. A five-match Test series against India was scheduled to begin early this year, and all four of them had left. In the meantime, off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, who debuted on the India tour, is still a member of the team.
In a relatively new-look bowling attack that welcomes back Chris Woakes, who will play his first Test since the Ashes last year, uncapped seamer Gus Atkinson, who was part of the Three Lions’ setup on the India tour but did not make the XI in any of the five Tests, maintains his spot.
Only the first Test, where he will play in his 188th and final match for England, has the legendary fast bowler James Anderson selected. Since making his Test debut in 2003, the departing cricket player has amassed 700 wickets. At the Mecca of Cricket, Anderson will want to cap out his international career with a bang by tormenting the West Indies hitters.
England squad for first two Tests vs West Indies –
Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson (first Test only), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes
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