Haseeb Hameed returns to England’s Test squad after five years as the head coach Chris Silverwood announced a 17-player squad for the first two Tests of the five-match series against India. The first Test will be played at Trent Bridge, from 4 August.
Hameed’s last appearance for England came way back in 2016. He suffered a finger injury and things went downhill since then. He was even dropped from the Lancashire squad, and had to shift to Nottinghamshire.
However, he had a terrific campaign with Nottinghamshire this year, and was rewarded with a spot in the Test squad.
Hameed’s inclusion will add extra pressure on Zak Crawley, who has failed to put up a decent performance for quite some time. Rory Burns and Dom Sibley will continue to be the first-choice opening pair.
Other than Hameed, Ollie Robinson has also returned to the squad. Robinson was earlier suspended for his sexist and racist tweets. He will be a part of fast bowling attack spearheaded by Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
Mark Wood has also retained his place, while Jofra Archer is yet to fully recover from the elbow injury. Archer had already confirmed that he would not mind missing this Test series, as his main motive is to play the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
Among wicketkeepers, both Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler have been included. Gloucestershire's James Bracey could not find a place after his ordinary outings against New Zealand.
Jack Leach and Dom Bess are two spinners in the side, while Ben Stokes and Sam Curran will play the role of all-rounders.
England Men’s Test Squad: Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson.