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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on Tuesday, announced the 14-member squad for the first two Tests of the upcoming three-match series against South Africa, starting August 17.
England have recalled speedster Ollie Robinson to the outfit as a replacement for the injured Jamie Overton. Robinson’s last Test appearance came in the final Ashes Test in January before a back problem saw him miss the Test tour of West Indies in March.
After being sidelined further, the Sussex pacer returned to action in the County Championship last week, taking nine wickets in the match against Nottinghamshire.
Sam Billings has been dropped from the squad as wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has returned in the whites. Notably, Foakes has missed most of the final game against New Zealand and then the rescheduled Test versus India due to Covid-19.
“After an excellent start to the summer under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, we’re looking forward to an exciting Test series against a strong South Africa side. The selectors have picked a squad for the first two Tests at Lord’s and Emirates Old Trafford with continuity in mind,” said ECB Men’s Performance Director Mo Bobat in an official statement.
“It’s good to get Ollie Robinson back in the mix after his recent injury. He will continue his progress by playing for the Lions against South Africa in a four-day match at Canterbury next week,” he added.
England squad for the first two Tests against South Africa:
Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root.
