Stokes in England test squad

England have kept the faith in James Vince and Mark Stoneman despite their 4-0 Ashes cricket series loss, with the top-order batsmen retained in England’s test squad for the tour of New Zealand.

The 16-man squad also includes Ben Stokes, uncapped Lancashire batsman Liam Livingstone and returning paceman Mark Wood for the two-match test series.

After a delay in announcing the squad due to captain Joe Root’s viral illness, there has been no mass bloodletting after the comprehensive Ashes defeat, although Gary Ballance, Jake Ball and Tom Curran missed selection.

Ballance did not feature in the Ashes, Ball featured only in the first Test and Curran was a late addition to the squad before turning out in Melbourne and Sydney.

Coach Trevor Bayliss made a strong case for the retention of Stoneman and Vince when reviewing the campaign earlier

this week, but the pair underperformed against Australia and there is little doubt that this show of faith requires immediate payback if they are to remain in the side.

England play two warm-up matches in Hamilton before their winter schedule finally comes to a close with tests in Auckland starting on March 22 and Christchurch starting on March 30.

Livingstone, 24, is the spare batsman on tour and will likely push harder for a place than Ballance, who resembled little more than a place holder during the Ashes.

‘‘Liam has been a player that we have been impressed with for quite some time, having performed well in the county system with Lancashire and over the past couple of years with the England Lions,’’ England selector James Whitaker said.

‘‘He is a very talented and tough cricketer who has the ideal qualities and character to be successful in the test arena. During the recent Lions tour of Australia, he was a standout performer and showed a lot of maturity in his attitude and put in some strong performances.’’

Wood, meanwhile, would have been present for the test leg in Australia had he been considered fit and robust enough. He is with England’s limited-overs squad as they look to exact a measure of revenge for the Ashes.

As has been the case with the past three squad announcements, all-rounder Stokes appears with a caveat next to his name, as he waits to find out if he will be charged by the Crown Prosecution Service.