England Men’s selection panel have named a 14-strong squad for the first two LV= Insurance Test matches against South Africa starting at Lord’s on 17 August, with Ben Stokes, Alex Lees and Matthew Potts all named.
Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson returns to the squad for the first time since the Caribbean tour in March. He returned to LV= County Championship action last week after recovering from a back injury, which has prevented him from playing any cricket since
Commenting on the selected squad, ECB Men’s Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said:”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.
“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.”
The Lions squad for the four-day tour match will be announced at the end of this week.
England Men’s Test squad v South Africa:
Ben Stokes (Durham) captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset)
Alex Lees (Durham), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire)
LV= Insurance Test Schedule:
1st Test: England v South Africa, 17-21 August, Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
2nd Test: England v South Africa, 25-29 August, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester
3rd Test: England v South Africa, 8-12 September, Kia Oval, London
Tour Match:
Four-day match: Lions v South Africa, 9-12 August, The Spitfire Ground St Lawrence, Canterbury