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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Wednesday, announced the 13-member England squad for the upcoming first two Tests against New Zealand, starting June 02 at Lords in London.
Under the fresh leadership of Ben Stokes (captain) and Brendon McCullum (head coach), England have recalled their two veteran seamers, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, to the red-ball outfit. Notably, both Broad and Anderson were left out for the West Indies tour earlier this year after England’s poor show in Australia in the Ashes.
Other fast bowlers such as Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Mark Wood and Saqib Mahmood have not been named in the squad as they are unavailable due to their respective injuries.
Uncapped Harry Brook and Matthew Potts have earned their maiden call-ups for the first two Tests against the Black Caps. Yorkshire’s Brook has scored 758 runs already in the ongoing County Championship 2022 at an average of 151.60. Similarly, Durham’s Potts is the leading wicket-taker with 35 scalps to his credit.
“This is the start of a new era for our Test team under the stewardship of Ben [Stokes] and Brendon [McCullum]. 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,” said Managing Director for England Men’s Cricket, Rob Key.
“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. It promises to be a mouthwatering series, and I can’t wait for the team to start against a very good New Zealand side. It is a fascinating prospect for everyone connected with the sport in this country,” he added.
England’s squad:
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.
