England have included uncapped Dillon Pennington from Nottinghamshire and Jamie Smith from Surrey in a 14-man squad for the first two Tests against the West Indies, set to take place at Lord’s and Trent Bridge.
Pennington, a fast bowler, has been in fine form with 29 wickets for Nottinghamshire in Division One of the ongoing County Championship, averaging an impressive 23.03.
Meanwhile, Jamie Smith, known for his attacking batting and wicket-keeping skills, has amassed 507 runs in the Championship at an average of 50.70.
With the omissions of Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow from the squad, Smith is poised to make his Test debut at Lord’s.
Notable absentees from the previous England Test squad that toured India earlier this year include Tom Hartley, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, and Mark Wood, while off-spinner Shoaib Bashir retains his place.
Uncapped seamer Gus Atkinson, who was part of the India tour squad but didn’t feature in any Tests, retains his place in a somewhat revamped bowling attack that sees the return of Chris Woakes, marking his comeback to Test cricket since the last year’s Ashes.
Legendary England fast bowler James Anderson has been selected for only the first Test, marking his 188th and final appearance for England.
Anderson, who has taken 700 wickets since his Test debut in 2003, will bid farewell at Lord’s.
“The first Test of the summer is always special, but it will hold added significance as it marks Jimmy’s [Anderson] farewell Test match.
Since his debut in 2003, he has dedicated himself completely to the sport.
We all wish him the very best as he walks out at Lord’s for the final time in an England shirt.”
“We are eagerly anticipating the start of the season against a strong West Indies side, which promises to be an exciting Test series.”
The venue for the third and final Test of the series will be Edgbaston, with the squad for that match to be confirmed at a later date.
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