Ben Foakes returns as England
2023.12.12
Ben Foakes makes his comeback as England names their team for the India Test series.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has officially announced its 16-man Men’s team for the forthcoming Test series in India.
The tour, which is scheduled to begin in January of next year, will include a difficult 5-match Test series against the powerful Indian team. Notably, England captain Ben Stokes, who just underwent left knee surgery, has been included to the team, albeit his ability to bowl remains in doubt.
After being omitted for the Ashes series, wicketkeeper Ben Foakes makes a notable return to the side. In addition, Jack Leach and Ollie Pope make their comebacks after suffering back and shoulder problems throughout the English summer. Uncapped off-spinner Shoaib Bashir joins uncapped left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and quick bowler Gus Atkinson in the squad, who have previously represented England in limited-overs cricket.
The side has only four frontline seamers, with James Anderson and Ollie Robinson supplemented by the speed of Atkinson and Mark Wood. Bashir joins Rehan Ahmed, Leach, and Hartley to form a diversified spin combination. Hartley, who has a mediocre first-class record for Lancashire, and Bashir, who made his professional debut with Somerset in June, provide a combination of experience and potential to the spin arsenal
Several notable players find themselves omitted from the squad, including Chris Woakes, Dan Lawrence, Liam Dawson and Will Jacks. Dawson and Jacks hold contracts for South Africa’s SA20, directly conflicting with the tour dates. Woakes, having expressed a focus on white-ball cricket, and Lawrence has been dropped for the India tour.
England Test squad for India tour:
Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Anderson, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood
