England Name 13-Man Squad For First Test Against West Indies; Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali Not Included 

England named 13-man squad for the first Test against the West Indies on Saturday. Wicket-keeper batsman Jonny Bairstow and spin all-rounder Moeen Ali were not included in the squad with Ben Stokes set to lead the side. Dominic Bess made a cut into the side as the lone spinner ahead of Jack Leach.

Bess earned a berth ahead of Leach as the latter has taken a break due to his prolonged illness. He has featured for Somerset in County cricket with a chance to make a debut against the West Indies. The first Test as cricket returns after a brief hiatus due to novel coronavirus pandemic will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow were not up to mark in Ashes last year

It is understood that Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow have been left out of the side due to their under par performance in the Ashes last year. The English side, led by Stokes, will be bolstered by veterans James Anderson and Stuart Broad with Jofra Archer to support them in their onslaught.

Jos Buttler, Joe Denly, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley are the other names who have been included in the squad.

The second and third Test will be played at the Old Tafford in Manchester.