Harry Brook will replace injured Jonny Bairstow for the third Test against South Africa.
For the series-deciding third Test against South Africa at The Oval on Thursday (September 8), promising young batter from Yorkshire Harry Brook will make his Test debut for England in place of the injured Jonny Bairstow.
Ben Stokes, the captain of England's Test team, expressed his excitement for Brook's debut in the longest format of the game.
Following Bairstow's unexpected leg injury sustained while playing golf, Brook is the only change to the starting eleven for the home team.
"Harry is someone who has been spoken about a lot as representing England going forward," Stokes said at the Oval on Wednesday, on the eve of the series-decider.
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"It's amazing how sometimes people's opportunities get presented to them... He deserved his opportunity to be in the squad initially and he deserves his opportunity this week."
He further said that he is devastated for Bairstow, whose terrific batting has been a massive factor in England having such a successful summer but expressed excitement to have found the replacement in Harry.
"He's been a massive reason as to why we've had such a successful summer," he said.
"It was a freak accident."
"The way in which our middle order has been playing this summer, I feel as if Harry coming in, the way he goes about his game with the bat in his hand is pretty much a like-for-like replacement.
"He's always going to look to take the bowling on, take the positive option. It's obviously devastating to not have Jonny but I'm very excited we get a replacement with the skill Jonny possesses."
The English team won the second Test by an innings and 85 runs in Manchester after the Proteas won the first one at Lord's by an innings and 12 runs.
England XI:- Zak Crawley, Alex Lees, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Ben Foakes (wkt), Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson
(Agence France-Presse Inputs)