England’s Wicket-Keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow has been dropped from their squad for the Upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand whereas players like Matthew Parkinson, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Saqib Mahmood have earned maiden Test call ups.
Bairstow had been averaging just 20.25 in Tests this year. Jos Buttler will take the keeping duties from him.
England’s Test series will begin on November 20 against New Zealand which would be just after the five-match T20I series against them.
Mahmood and Parkinson have also been included in the T20I squad. Tom Banton is another player who has earned his maiden T20I call up on the back of a tremendous T20 Blast season for Somerset.
Talking about other players, Sibley is the only player to have scored over 1000 runs in the Division One of the County Championship this season whereas Crawley hasn’t been far behind with 820 runs to his name. Both are young players and have a bright future ahead.
Mahmood and Parkinson, both of whom are fairly young being only 22 years of age, are coming on the back of good county seasons in Division 2. They picked up 21 and 19 wickets respectively.
England squad for two Tests in New Zealand: Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Jack Leach (Somerset), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).
England squad for five Twenty20s in New Zealand: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) captain, Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent), Pat Brown (Worcestershire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), James Vince (Hampshire).