Sam Billings added to England Test squad for series decider against India
Jun 27, 2022
London [UK], June 27 : Kent wicket-keeper Sam Billings has been added to the England Men's Test squad for the rearranged fifth Test versus India starting on Friday at Edgbaston.
Billings has stepped into the team as a COVID substitute for Ben Foakes, whose place is in doubt while he undergoes five days of isolation.
One probable change for the India Test will be the return of James Anderson to lead the attack, having missed the Headingley match with an ankle niggle.
The rescheduled match is a part of last year's five-match Test series that had to be delayed after the fourth Test due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian camp.
The announcement by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) came after the hosts romped home to a seven-wicket victory against New Zealand in Headingley to complete a series whitewash. Jonathan Bairstow remained unbeaten on a 44-ball 71, while Root scored 86* as England romped home to a seven-wicket victory.
With the victory, England overtook New Zealand in the standings, with a win percentage of 28.89. New Zealand now occupy the penultimate spot on the table, just above Bangladesh, with a win percentage of 25.93.
England Men's Test squad versus India: Ben Stokes (Durham) captain, James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jack Leach (Somerset), Alex Lees (Durham), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Pope (Surrey), and Joe Root (Yorkshire).
On Monday, The All-India Senior Selection Committee added Mayank Agarwal to India's Test squad for the rescheduled fifth Test as cover for captain Rohit Sharma, who tested positive for COVID-19. Mayank has left for the UK and will link up with the squad in Birmingham.
India's Test squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharat (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Mayank Agarwal.
