Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow have been named in a 12-man squad to take on Pakistan in the first Test Match at Lord’s starting on Thursday May 24.
Root will lead the Three Lions out on the first morning whilst Bairstow will continue to keep wicket. Both Yorkshiremen will be hoping for a positive result in order to take momentum into the second Test Match at their home ground, Emerald Headingley, starting June 1.
England’s 12-man Test squad
Joe Root (Yorkshire) captain
Jimmy Anderson (Lancashire)
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire) wicketkeeper
Dom Bess (Somerset)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Dawid Malan (Middlesex)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Mark Stoneman (Surrey)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Mark Wood (Durham)
Somerset spinner Dom Bess has been included in the squad for the first time.
Lancashire batsman Jos Buttler returns to the Test squad for the first time since December 2016 when he played in the fifth Test against India in Chennai.
Bess, the 20-year-old off spinner, has played 16 first-class matches and was impressive in the Champion County match for the MCC against Essex in March where he took eight wickets in the match and scored a valuable century in defeating the County Champions in Barbados.
