Left-handed batsman Dawid Malan has been recalled to the England squad for the third Test of the five-match series against India, while Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley both dropped from the 15-member camp.
Malan has only played one first-class match this year in which he scored 199 runs. The 33-year-old has proved himself at the international stage over the last couple of years. He is the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world.
Malan will replace Sibley in the Test squad. The right-handed opener has been dropped having managed to cross 35 just once in his last 15 Test innings. Along with Crawley, he will also return to join their respective county clubs though there is no Championship until August 30.
So now, Malan is expected to bat at No. 3, with Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns opening the innings.
“Dawid Malan deserves his opportunity in the Test arena,” England head coach Chris Silverwood told BBC.
“He has a lot of experience across all formats and, if called upon, I am confident that he can come and do well on his home ground,” he added.
The hosts are also hopeful that Mark Wood will be recover from his shoulder injury which he sustained on the penultimate day of the second Test, while Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood could make his Test debut by replacing Sam Curran.
“He is confident, highly-skilled and will not be overawed if he is to make his Test debut. His temperament and attitude are suited to the international arena,” Silverwood said of Mahmood.
England suffered a 151-run defeat in the second Test at Lord’s, having drawn the first match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
The third Test will bowl-out at Headingley in Leeds on next Wednesday, August 25.
England squad:
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.
