England will be without their opening batsman, Zak Crawley, for the upcoming three-match test series against Sri Lanka. Crawley suffered a fracture in his right little finger during the third test against the West Indies last month. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the news on Sunday while unveiling their 14-member squad for the series.
The 26-year-old Crawley will be a notable absence for England, who are hoping to build on their recent success. Another blow to the team comes in the form of seamer Dillon Pennington, who is ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Despite the setbacks, England has received a boost with the first call-up for middle-order batter Jordan Cox. The 23-year-old previously toured Pakistan with the white-ball squad in 2022.
Another welcome return to the squad is seamer Olly Stone, who will feature in the test squad for the first time since June 2021. Stone will be looking to make a significant impact on his return.
The series will be captained by Ben Stokes, and the first test will begin on August 21st at Old Trafford.
Here is the full England test squad:
Ben Stokes (captain), Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, and Mark Wood.
