England Cricket Board (ECB) announced a powerful men’s squad this afternoon for the first Test of the five-match series against India. The Ben Stokes-led team will be in action at Headingley, Leeds, from June 20 to 24, against India.
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Leaving out Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, two seasoned fast bowlers, shocked the crowd and pundits. Those two speedsters, Archer and Wood, will not go into the Test side, as England has gone for greenhorns in the form of Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Sam Cook, and Josh Tongue.
One must first emphasize that both Wood and Archer are carrying injuries. Wood had undergone knee surgery in March and could be fit for the final Test after recovery, meaning he will be unavailable for the first four. Archer remains out with a thumb injury sustained while playing for Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2025.
He was keenly expected to feature in England Lions’ second unofficial Test against India-A before making an unperturbed return to Test cricket in Leeds. However, this thumb injury has delayed his return, and England is in all likelihood going to choose Chris Woakes along with Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and Shoaib Bashir as their main bowlers.
Read Also:- India tour of England 2025
England Squad For 1st Test vs India
Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
