England playing XI for first Test vs West Indies announced as James Anderson set to play final game

England, on Monday (July 8), announced their playing eleven for the first Test against West Indies. England and West Indies will be playing three Tests against each other this month, with the first Test taking place from July 10 at Lord's.

The hosts have decided to include two uncapped players in their playing eleven for the series - pacer Gus Atkinson and wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith. With both Jonny Bairstow and Ben Foakes dropped from the Test squad, Smith's debut was pretty much expected. Unlike Smith, Atkinson has represented England in other formats. He has played 9 ODIs and 3 T20Is so far.

From the 14-member squad that was announced for the first Test of the series, Dan Lawrence, Dillon Pennington, and Matthew Potts have missed out. England have decided to pick Atkinson, Chris Woakes, and James Anderson as the pacers for the game ahead of Pennington and Potts.

One between Pennington and Potts is likely to play the next Test as Anderson will be retiring after the series opener. The game will also be Woakes' first Test since the Ashes last year. Earlier this year, he had taken a break from the game after his father passed away.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir has also found a spot in the playing eleven. The youngster had made his Test debut during the tour of India earlier this year. Harry Brook has also returned to the Test team after missing the tour of India. Brook was named in the squad but pulled out to be with his ill grandmother who passed away in March.

England Playing XI for first Test against West Indies:

1. Zak Crawley
2. Ben Duckett
3. Ollie Pope
4. Joe Root
5. Harry Brook
6. Ben Stokes (C)
7. Jamie Smith
8. Chris Woakes
9. Gus Atkinson
10. Shoaib Bashir
11. James Anderson

England will be looking to bounce back in the upcoming series after their poor outing against India earlier this year. The Ben Stokes-led side had started the series with a memorable win before India defeated them in the next four Tests. England have not won a Test series since 2023 and would be desperate to beat West Indies in the forthcoming series.