BILLINGS TO STEP IN AS FOAKES HIT BY COVID

England have made two changes for their rescheduled Test match against India, with Sam Billings taking over from the unwell Ben Foakes and James Anderson back to lead the bowling attack.

Foakes missed the last couple of days of the victory over New Zealand at Headingley after testing positive for Covid-19, with Billings stepping in as an emergency replacement, and struggled through a light training session at Edgbaston yesterday.

With 39-year-old Anderson fit again after a niggling ankle injury, England made the difficult decision to drop Jamie Overton. The Surrey seamer, who made 97 on debut and took two wickets, has been unable to edge ahead of a firstchoice trio comprising Anderson, Stuart Broad and Matthew Potts.

The game will settle a five-match series that began last summer but ended without a conclusion after India’s concerns over a Covid outbreak saw them withdraw a matter of hours before play was due to begin at Old Trafford.

Captain Ben Stokes explained: “Unfortunately Foakesy hasn’t recovered as well as we’d have liked him to, so Sam is going to stay in the team and keep.

“He doesn’t feel like he could give the best account of himself.

“We took the decision out of his hands and said ‘get yourself better’.”

England had the option to hand the gloves to the in-form Jonny Bairstow and give Yorkshire’s Harry Brook a first cap in the middle order, but Stokes was unwilling to compromise a player who produced a careerbest series against New Zealand.

● Jos Buttler has been named as Eoin Morgan’s successor as England’s limited-overs captain, taking over the one-day and T20 sides.

Morgan announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday and the England and Wales Cricket Board has wasted little time in rubberstamping Buttler’s promotion.

The 31-year-old has deputised for Morgan on 14 occasions, including the side’s previous ODI in Amstelveen after Morgan sat out with a groin injury.