England name squad for opening tests of the summer, Broad and Anderson recalled

England have named a 13 man squad for the first two LV=Insurance Test matches of the summer against New Zealand starting at Lords on 2^nd June.

Yorkshire batter Harry Brook and Durham seamer Matthew Potts are called up for the first time. The 23-year-old Brook has started the season off in scintillating form having already scored 758 runs at an average of 151.60, including three centuries and four half-centuries.

The 23-year-old has also started the campaign very much on the front foot having taken 35 wickets, including four five-wicket hauls and recently taking seven for 40 in Durham’s impressive victory over Glamorgan.

The experienced seam duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson- a combined total of 321 test caps between them- return back into the fold for the first time since the Australian Test series earlier this winter.

The three match test series against the world champions will be their first under new captain Ben Stokes and new Test coach Brendon McCullum.

The new regime have gone with players who have started the season in form by naming Brook- leading run scorer in Division One and Potts- leading wicket taker in the country alongside Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope.

Pope will get the chance to relaunch his test career, by more than likely batting at number three, a position he has never occupied before in first class cricket.

Brook will certainly be pushing Bairstow for the chance to bat at number five, while Foakes is set to keep his place behind the stumps.

England squad: Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey, wk), Jack Leach (Somerset), Alex Lees (Durham), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Joe Root (Yorkshire)

LV= Insurance Test Schedule

1^st Test: England v New Zealand, 2-6 June, Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

2^nd Test: England v New Zealand, 10-14 June, Trent Bridge, Nottingham

3^rd Test: England v New Zealand, 23-27 June, Headingley, Leeds

It was also announced today that Australian Matthew Mott has been named as England Men’s White Ball Head Coach.

Mott has led the women’s Australian Women’s Team since 2015. Under his leadership, Australian Women have won consecutive ICC T20 World Cups, this years ICC 50 over Women’s World Cup and are undefeated in four Ashes series.

Mott, has signed a four year agreement and is expected to be in place for the forthcoming ODI three match series against the Netherlands in Amsterdam next month.

 

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