While England had already announced that Harry Brook will not be available for the five-match Test series against India after announcing that he had pulled out due to personal reasons, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have now officially announced Brook's replacement. All-rounder Dan Lawrence has been added to India's squad after Brook had to opt out. The development comes after ECB had announced Brook's inability to participate in the five-match series.
"Harry Brook is set to return home with immediate effect for personal reasons from the England Men's Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had said in an official statement.
"The Brook family respectfully requests privacy during this time. In light of this, the ECB and the family kindly request the media and the public to respect their wish for privacy and refrain from intruding on their private space," it added.
Not much after, ECB confirmed that it was Surrey's Lawrence who will join the England Test squad within the next 24 hours to be with the team ahead of the Test series opener scheduled to begin at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on January 25 (Thursday).
Dan Lawrence's Test Career So Far
Lawrence has so far played 11 Tests for England. The right-handed middle-order batter and a right-arm off break bowler has amassed 551 runs in 21 innings at an average of 29.00 with the help of 4 half-centuries. In addition, Lawrence has been required to roll his arms over in 7 innings and has managed to scalp 3 wickets. Even though he has been named in the squad, it would be interesting to see if he ends up making it to the Playing 11 as England attempt to be the first team to beat India in India in a Test series in over a decade.