Root and Bairstow among reduced squad for Test series

ENGLAND HAVE included eight uncapped players in their 30man training camp for next month’s Test series against the West Indies, as well an expanded coaching team.

The England and Wales Cricket Board invited a total of 55 players back to training at 11 different venues in recent weeks, with selectors refining that down to a long-list who will be in contention for the red-ball team.

Six Yorkshire players were part of that larger group, but only Test captain Joe Root and Jo0nny Bairstow have survived the initial cut, with Dawid Malan, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, David Willey and Adil Rashid hoping they can get a look-in when it comes to the limited over games.

The reduced group will convene at the Ageas Bowl on June 23 and remain on site as they work towards an intra-squad match on July 1-3.

That will provide a final chance to earn selection for the Test squad to face the Windies.

Of those included Essex batsman Dan Lawrence, Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman James Bracey, Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, Somerset quick Jamie Overton and Surrey spinner Amar Virdi have yet to represent their country at all, while Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory and Matt Parkinson have appeared in limited-overs cricket.

All of England’s established Test players are present and correct, including Rory Burns, Jofra Archer, James Anderson and Mark Wood, who have been recovering from a variety of injury problems.

With such a large group to manage, head coach Chris Silverwood and assistant Graham Thorpe have been handed a reinforced backroom team using head coaches from the county network.

Lancashire’s Glen Chapple will help mentor the pace bowlers, Gloucestershire’s Richard Dawson

will look after spin duties and Matthew Walker of Kent has been asked to join Thorpe in overseeing batsmen. In addition former Test wicketkeeper Chris Read has been appointed as wicketkeeping consultant, while ECB fielding coach Carl Hopkinson completes the team.

ECB performance director Mo Bobat, said: “A huge amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to get us to this point, and it’s now over to Chris Silverwood and his management team to support the players with their final preparations.”

■ England training group ahead of threematch Test series against the West Indies:

Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), J Anderson (Lancashire), J Archer (Sussex), J Bairstow

(Yorkshire), D Bess (Somerset), J Bracey (Gloucestershire), S Broad (Nottinghamshire), R Burns (Surrey), J Buttler (Lancashire), Z Crawley (Kent), S Curran (Surrey), J Denly (Kent), B Foakes (Surrey), L Gregory (Somerset), K Jennings (Lancashire), D Lawrence (Essex), J Leach (Somerset), S Mahmood (Lancashire), C Overton (Somerset), J Overton (Somerset), M Parkinson (Lancashire), O Pope (Surrey), O Robinson (Sussex), J Root (Yorkshire), D Sibley (Warwickshire), B Stokes (Durham), O Stone (Warwickshire), A Virdi (Surrey), C Woakes (Warwickshire), M Wood (Durham).