Veteran seamers James Anderson and Stuart Broad are back in England’s Test side as the England and Wales Cricket Board on Wednesday named a 13-strong squad to face New Zealand in the first two matches a three-match series at home.
Anderson, Broad named in England Test Squad
Anderson and Broad were left out of England’s squad for the tour of the West Indies, which they lost 0-1. However, with the board making several changes including the appointment of Ben Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as the head coach of the Test side, the two fast bowlers have found a place again in the 13-member squad.
Several seamers including the likes of Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, and Saqib Mahmood are unavailable due to injuries.
Yorkshire’s Harry Brook and Durham’s Matthew Potts have earned their maiden call-ups for the series. Brook has scored 758 runs already in the County Championship this season at an average of 151.60 whereas Potts is the leading wicket-taker with 35 scalps.
“This is the start of a new era for our Test team under the stewardship of Ben (Stokes) and Brendon (McCullum),” Managing Director for England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key, said.
“With a blend of youth and experience, we have selected an exciting squad that can compete with New Zealand in next month’s Test series. We have rewarded players in Harry Brook and Matty Potts who have had outstanding starts to the County season, and they deserve the opportunity to stake a claim at this level.”
The three-match series that falls under the World Test Championship will kickstart on June 2 at the Lord’s, followed by two more Tests in Nottingham and Leeds respectively.
England Squad for the first two Tests
Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Joe Root
