England retain Test squad for West Indies tour
london — England kept faith on Monday with the squad that delivered a Test whitewash in Sri Lanka, naming the same 16 players who finished that tour for the series against the West Indies.
That means no place for Surrey’s Ollie Pope, who was initially selected for Sri Lanka but left early to get game time with the second-tier Lions side, and a reprieve for Kent’s Joe Denly.
The uncapped 32-year-old was not required during the 3-0 win but will once again travel as batting cover for the three Tests, ahead of Pope and his overlooked county colleague Jason Roy. Joe Root, Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes AFP file
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was a late addition in Sri Lanka after an injury to Jonny Bairstow and takes his place as a first-choice pick after collecting man-of-theseries honours.
The 15-man one-day squad also has a familiar look as the countdown to next summer’s World Cup continues.
Left-armer David Willey returns and Mark Wood is included ahead of Olly Stone, who made his bow in Sri Lanka.England are due to play three Tests, five oneday internationals and three Twenty20 internationals on their tour of the West Indies, which starts next month. —
TesT squad
One-day squad
OneEoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood