Jonny Bairstow back in England Test squad, Archer out of Ashes

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The Sports Times News Bureau
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New Delhi, May 17, 2023: Jonny Bairstow has been recalled as England’s Test wicketkeeper at the expense of Ben Foakes for next month’s one-off Test against Ireland. James Anderson is also included in the 15-man squad, despite suffering a minor groin strain while playing for Lancashire last week.

Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was dropped to accommodate Bairstow for the four-day contest against Ireland at Lord’s from June 1.

England managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key spoke on the matter and said, “It was a seriously tough decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad.”

Bairstow, can be a destructive batter who can score quickly and fluently and he will be hoping to continue his good run of form in the Ashes.

Bairstow made his Test debut for England in 2012, and he has since played 72 Tests, scoring 4,133 runs at an average of 35.36. He has also scored 11 centuries and 19 half-centuries in Test cricket.  Bairstow’s best Test score is 151, which he made against New Zealand in 2019 according to the reports published in indianexpress.com.

Meanwhile, Archer, who has been ruled out “for the rest of the summer”, spent 17 months on the sidelines following elbow and back injuries before returning to international cricket in January.

The 28-year-old played five matches for Mumbai Indians before the nagging injury ended his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint last week.

The Ashes series against Australia begins at Edgbaston on June 16.

England squad: Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

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