Jonny Bairstow Faces Axe as England Cricket Board (ECB) Names Fresh Faces in Test And T20I Squads For New Zealand Tour

After a disappointing show in the Ashes 2019 against arch-rivals Australia, England Cricket Board (ECB) has dropped Jonny Bairstow from the Test squad for their two-match series against New Zealand, starting November 21. The English selectors also named the 15-member squad for the five-match T20I series against Kiwis, scheduled to be played from November 1. Under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, England witnessed a memorable summer as they clinched their maiden ICC World Cup title in July in their own backyard.

In the absence of Bairstow, who averages 20.25 in Tests this year, Jos Buttler will keep wickets for Joe Root’s side. James Anderson remains unavailable for selection in the Test squad as he continues his rehabilitation from a calf injury. Dominic Sibley is rewarded for his remarkable summer with a first England call-up to the Test squad. The 24-year-old had accumulated 1,324 Specsavers County Championship runs going into the final round of fixtures, including an unbeaten double century. Zak Crawley is also included after a promising summer at the top of the order.

A number of new faces for our New Zealand tour ✈️🇳🇿

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 23, 2019

Lancashire duo Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson also receive call-ups to the Test squad. The two Tests against New Zealand do not form part of the ICC World Test Championship.

However, it’s England’s T20I squad which bears a new-look with the inclusion of Tom Banton, Pat Brown, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson. all of these players earned their maiden England call-ups, while the latter two also won Test calls.

England Test Squad: Joe Root (Captain), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes.

England T20I squad: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince.