Bethell, Woakes named in England squad for first Test against India; hosts recall all-rounder Overton
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Bethell, Woakes named in England squad for first Test against India; hosts recall all-rounder Overton")
Bethell, Woakes named in England squad for first Test against India; hosts recall all-rounder Overton Photograph: (AFP)
Pacer Brydon Carse also returns to the Test side after missing the one-off game against Zimbabwe due to a niggle.
England has announced a 14-man squad for the first Test against India starting June 20 in Leeds. The hosts have recalled lanky all-rounder Jamie Overton as Gus Atkinson’s replacement for the series opener, alongside naming batter Jacob Bethell and seam-bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes. Pacer Brydon Carse also returns to the Test side after missing the one-off game against Zimbabwe due to a niggle.
England squad for the first Test vs India –
Ben Stokes (captain), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue and Chris Woakes
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While there was no mention of seamer Jofra Archer, who also missed the cut with a thumb injury, Overton’s inclusion raises a few eyebrows. The England all-rounder had played just one Test to date, at the same venue three years ago against New Zealand, hitting 97 and picking a wicket in each inning. Having played just three County matches since the start of last season, Overton comes ahead of Matthew Pott as seam-bowling cover.
While Archer and Atkinson could return in contention from the second game onwards, England will miss the services of ace quicks in Mark Wood and Olly Stone, who are out of the India Tests.
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Meanwhile, batter Bethell returned to the Test side having missed England’s previous game against Zimbabwe at the Trent Bridge due to IPL commitments. He, however, played in the three-match ODIs against West Indies, which they won 3-0. His inclusion increases the selection headache for captain Ben Stokes, who now has to find a way to include his best players in the XI for the Leeds Test against India.
While Woakes and Tongue are back from their respective injuries and will feature for England Lions in their second shadow tour game against India-A to prepare for the marquee series, seamer Sam Cook, who made his Test debut against Zimbabwe, also retained his place. He, however, is expected to start as cover for the seniors.
The five-match series begins at Headingley before the action moves on Edgbaston, Lord’s and Old Trafford for the remaining three matches, with The Oval hosting the final game of the series.
On the other hand, India, who hasn’t won a Test series in the UK since 2007, have asked some of their senior team members to play the second warm-up game in Northampton this week to prepare for the series while the remaining squad members leave for England this Friday (June 6).
