The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Men’s selectors, on Monday, November 9, announced a strong 15-man squad for their upcoming three-Test tour of South Africa, which will be Stephen Fleming’s maiden outing as a red-ball head coach.
Left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White received his maiden Test call-up while Jacob Bethell returned to the Test squad following his knee injury. It’s worth noting that England will tour South Africa after their white-ball tour of Australia.
England Men’s Test squad:
Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Liam Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue
Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Ben Duckett and Joe Root will return to the UK immediately after the conclusion of the ODI series against Australia before travelling to South Africa. Meanwhile, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Jordan Cox will cut short their Australia tour after the fourth T20I in Sydney on November 29 and head directly to South Africa.
England Men’s National Selector, Marcus North:
“We have selected a strong and balanced squad that is ready for the challenge of facing a South African team that are ICC Test world champions and who returned to the top of the ICC Test rankings following their recent 2-1 series win over Australia.
“There are two changes to the squad that defeated Pakistan 3-0 at the end of the home summer with Liam Patterson-White earning his debut call-up while Jacob Bethell returns from a knee injury.
“Liam Patterson-White’s selection comes on the back of a strong summer in the Rothesay County Championship, when he took the most wickets of any spinner in Division One with 42 at an average of 25.11 and earned his first ECB Development Contract.
“We have also selected a strong England Lions squad, who will fly out to South Africa on November 25 for a preparation camp before three 50-over matches and two first-class games. Those players will benefit from experiencing South African conditions and ensure we have players who are fit and ready should they be required for the Test series.”
SA vs ENG, Test Series Schedule:
First Test: 17-21 December, Johannesburg
Second Test: 26-30 December, Centurion
Third Test: 3-7 January, Cape Town
