File image of Zak Crawley.© AFP
London :
England named a 14-member squad for their upcoming three-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Designated opener Zak Crawley will miss the series after he sustained a fracture on his right little finger in England's third Test against the West Indies. Along with this seamer Dillon Pennington will also miss out on the series after sustaining a hamstring injury while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred competition.
Pennington was with England's squad for their three-match series against the West Indies last month. The Three Lions Test skipper Ben Stokes was impressed with the 25-year-old and stated that Pennington would be "ready to go" if his services were needed against Sri Lanka.
The 25-year-old has been one of the standout quicks in the ongoing County Championship this season. For Nottinghamshire, he picked up 31 wickets at 23.80 in eight appearances.
Due to the absence of these two players, Jordan Cox and Olly Stone received call-ups to the Test team.
Cox features as a middle-order batter with Essex. He was a part of the England white-ball setup during their tour of Pakistan last year.
Cox has been the leading run-scorer for Essex in this season's County Championship, racking up 763 runs at an average of 69.36, with three tons to his name.
For Stone, the Sri Lanka series marks his return to the England line-up for the first time since 2021. The Nottinghamshire speedster has played three Tests, picking up 10 wickets in the process at an average of 19.4.
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
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