Jonny Bairstow returns to the England Test squad after being named in Three Lions' contingent for the one-off Test match against Ireland. Veteran England speedster James Anderson has also been named in the 15-member squad by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday even though he had sustained a minor groin injury while playing for Lancashire in the previous week. Bairstow replaces Ben Foakes in the side for the four-day fixture scheduled to be played at the Lord's from June 1.

In addition, seamer Chris Woakes also returns to the Test squad for the first time since his last appearance in March 2022. If the Warwicshire seamer does get a place in the Playing 11, he will play his first Test match on the home soil since August 2020.

ECB Managing Director for England Men's Cricket Rob Key spoke about Bairstow's selection and the decision to leave out Foakes.


"It was a seriously tough decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad. He has been excellent for England in the last year, but Jonny Bairstow is one of the best players in the world whose performances last summer epitomised what we are about," he was quoted as saying in an official release.

Meanwhile, England's speedster Jofra Archer has been ruled out of the Ashes series. Archer had spent nearly one and a half years on the sidelines to recover from his elbow and back injuries before he returned to international cricket in January earlier this year. Mumbai Indians, the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise who waited him to recover and had bought them in the last auction itself despite knowing that he won't be available in IPL 2022, fielded him in just 5 matches in the 2023 season before he was ruled out.

"It has been a frustrating and upsetting period for Jofra Archer. He was making good progress until a recurrence of the elbow injury, which kept him out for an extended period previously. We wish him the best of luck with his recovery," Key stated.


"I’m sure we will see Jofra back to his best and winning games for England, whatever the format. Hopefully, sooner rather than later," he added.


England squad for Ireland Test: Ben Stokes (captain), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood