Jacob Bethell is back in the England Test squad for the series opener against India but fast bowler Gus Atkinson is out with a hamstring injury.
Bethell missed the innings victory over Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last month while on IPL duty but returns to a 14-man group for the fixture at Headingley from June 20-24, after impressing in New Zealand over the winter by scoring three fifties from the No 3 spot.
If the 21-year-old plays in Leeds later this month – live on Sky Sports – he would presumably have to replace one of opener Zak Crawley or incumbent No 3 Ollie Pope, although Crawley and Pope both scored centuries against Zimbabwe, making 124 and 171 respectively.
England captain Ben Stokes had appeared to intimate Bethell – who is yet to score a professional hundred – would return to the XI against India while speaking ahead of the Zimbabwe Test but later confirmed he meant the wider squad and suggested his words had been “twisted” by the media.
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Zak Crawley struck 124 in May’s Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge
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The best of Ollie Pope’s hundred against Zimbabwe in Nottingham
Carse and Woakes back in squad after injuries
With Surrey quick Atkinson sidelined by the issue he sustained in this summer’s opening Test, fit-again pacers Brydon Carse and Chris Woakes, as well as seam-bowling all-rounder Jamie Overton, return.
Sam Cook and Josh Tongue – both of whom played against Zimbabwe, with Cook making his debut – retain their spots but Matthew Potts, the spare pace bowler in the squad for that thumping win at Trent Bridge in May, misses out entirely.
Chris Woakes could return to the England side against India after an ankle injury
Carse (toe) and Woakes (ankle) have recently made comebacks from injury, with Carse now back involved with England’s white-ball squads and Woakes in line to play a red-ball game for the Lions against India A from June 6.
Like Bethell – who earned his Test chance in New Zealand with Jamie Smith on paternity leave at the time – Carse and Woakes could return to the Test XI for the first time since the 2-1 series victory over the Black Caps at the back end of 2024.
The fit-again Brydon Carse has made an impressive start to his Test career
Carse was England’s leading wicket-taker in that series, picking up 18 across the three matches, and has 27 scalps from five Tests in total after claiming nine in two games on the tour of Pakistan last October.
Overton could make first Test appearance in three years
Surrey’s Overton could play his first Test since debuting against New Zealand at Headingley in June 2022, when he scored 97 from the No 8 spot and took two wickets.
The 31-year-old is out of action with a broken little finger picked up in an ODI against West Indies, which subsequently ruled him out of the T20I series against the same side, and is being assessed daily by England’s medical team.
Jamie Overton is currently out of action with a broken little finger and being assessed daily by the England medical team
England remain without Jofra Archer (thumb), Mark Wood (knee) and Olly Stone (knee).
Shoaib Bashir – who took nine wickets in the match against Zimbabwe, including a second-innings six-for – is the sole frontline spinner in the group.
After the Headingley Test, England will play India at Edgbaston (July 2-6), Lord’s (July 10-14), Emirates Old Trafford (July 23-27) and The Kia Oval (July 31-August 4), with every game live on Sky Sports.
England men’s Tests this summer ☀️
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports
- May 22-25: Beat Zimbabwe by an innings and 45 runs
- vs India: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 – Headingley
- vs India: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 – Edgbaston
- vs India: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 – Lord’s
- vs India: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 – Old Trafford
- vs India: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 – The Kia Oval