England skipper Ben Stokes has announced that James Anderson will return to the team in place of Jamie Overton for the rearranged final Test against India, set to begin on Friday, July 1, 2022.
Stokes also confirmed that Ben Foakes remains out as he continues to recover from COVID-19, meaning Kent’s Sam Billings will keep his place.
England’s pace attack will be completed by Stuart Broad and Durham seamer Matthew Potts, while Jack Leach is the only spinner. This will be the second assignment for newly appointed full-time captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum after their stunning series win over New Zealand.
Anderson, who will turn 40 next month, missed his side’s 3-0 sweep over reigning World Test champions New Zealand at Headingley because of “puffy ankle”, though he was seen bowling during breaks in the Test.
Match Rescheduled
India’s fifth Test match at Old Trafford, where they were leading 2-1, was called off last September because of worries over a COVID-19 outbreak in their camp. The rescheduled Test match could look very different from the proceedings in the original series, which indicated a defensive approach from the England side under the Joe Root’s captaincy.
England Playing XI Against India
Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow, Ben Stokes (c), Sam Billings (wk), Matthew Potts, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
