ENG vs IRE: Jonny Bairstow Returns As England Name Squad For The Ireland Test

Published - 16 May 2023, 05:33 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

Jonny Bairstow {PC: Twitter}

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have named a 15-member squad for the one-off Test against Ireland. Jonny Bairstow has returned to the team first time since the freak injury he suffered last year ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022.

Jonny Bairstow’s entrance into the squad has made ECB drop Ben Foakes from the team whereas pacers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes are also back in the team after missing a lot of action in the longest format of the game.

Apart from this Jofra Archer has missed out as he has been ruled out of the entire summer due to a recurrence of a stress fracture to his right elbow. On the other hand, James Anderson, who suffered an injury in the county game, too has been named to the team.

Rob Key, ECB Managing Director for England Men’s Cricket, said that they will assess James Anderson’s fitness during the game and also talked about the exclusion of Ben Foakes from the team. He said in an official statement:

“We are looking forward to the summer ahead and getting into the swing of things, starting with a good test against Ireland. It was a seriously tough decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad. He has been excellent for England in the last year, but Jonny Bairstow is one of the best players in the world whose performances last summer epitomized what we are about”

Rob Key also talked about Jofra Archer’s frustrating injury and said that they are hoping that the pacer will return soon. He also wished luck to all the players, making a comeback to the team. He said:

“It has been a frustrating and upsetting period for Jofra Archer. He was making good progress until a recurrence of the elbow injury, which kept him out for an extended period previously. We wish him the best of luck with his recovery. I’m sure we will see Jofra back to his best and winning games for England, whatever the format. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.

ENG vs IRE: England squad for the Ireland Test

The Test between England and Ireland will be played from 1 to 4 June at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London. Here’s England’s squad for the Ireland Test:

England squad for Ireland Test: Ben Stokes (c), 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.

After the Test against Ireland, England will host Australia for five-Test series, beginning 16th June.