The England And Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming fourth Test match against India, which will be played at the Oval in London from September 2nd onwards.
The series stands still with India winning the second Test at Lord’s and England leveling the series in Leeds in the third Test match.
England has called in Chris Woakes and Kent wicket-keeper Sam Billings has been added to the 15-man squad as cover for Jos Buttler who will be missing the fourth Test with his wife expecting their second child.
Woakes returns to the Test side after 12 months because of a combination of the ECB's rest and rotation policy and a heel injury which ruled him out of the first three Tests of this series. He has replaced Saqib Mahmood in the squad, who will play for Lancashire in their County Championship game against Warwickshire.
"It is very pleasing that we have Chris Woakes returning to the Test squad. He has bowled well over the past week with Warwickshire without any real concerns with his heel injury. He is an asset we have been missing both with the ball and his ability to score runs in the middle order. We are looking forward to seeing him prepare at the Oval as we go into back-to-back Tests,” Chris Silverwood said.
Meanwhile, Silverwood also confirmed that Jonny Bairstow will keep wickets in place of Jos Buttler, saying, “We would like to wish Jos and his family all the very best for the impending birth of their second child. Unfortunately, he will miss this Test, and we'll then see if he returns for the final Test. Jonny Bairstow will take over wicketkeeping duties, which he is relishing. As we all know, he has the skills to seamlessly take over from Jos and the ability to score crucial runs in the middle-order if called upon."
Either Ollie Pope or Dan Lawrence are expected to come into the side in the middle order. Given he is unlikely to play at The Oval, Billings will join up with England's squad on Thursday after Kent's County Championship match against Leicestershire.
Mark Wood is expected to be fit for the fourth Test match after missing the third one due to a shoulder injury.
"Mark Wood is making an excellent recovery from his jarred right shoulder. He bowled in the middle on the last day at Headingley with our bowling coach Jon Lewis and was starting to get through his spells pain-free. For the first time in this series, it is pleasing to have several options with our bowling stocks as we approach the latter stages of the series,” Silverwood said.
(Cricbuzz inputs)
