Captain Ben Stokes has been named in an England squad for the Test series with India that also features three uncapped players.
Stokes recently underwent surgery on a knee issue after last month's World Cup and faces a race against time to play in the first Test, which begins on January 25.
However, he has been selected in a group of 16 players with Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley and Gus Atkinson are in contention to make their first appearance on this stage.
The selection of Bashir is particularly noteworthy with the 20-year-old having only made six first-class matches, his debut coming as recently as June.
All set for India! 💪
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 11, 2023
Our 16-player squad for the five-Test series 🏏
🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/z7UjI634h1
Just 10 wickets have been taken at an average of 67, although he is no stranger to an England call-up having been training with the England Lions camp.
Fellow spin bowler Hartley is wicketless in two one-day internationals, with 40 wickets coming from 20 first-class fixtures at an average of 36.57. He does, however, average 29 with the bat.
Atkinson has nine ODI matches and two T20 caps for England, taking a total of 17 wickets, and England will hope that the pace bowler can act as a direct alternative to the retired Stuart Broad.
England are also able to call upon Jack Leach, who missed the entire Ashes series through injury, while Rehan Ahmed is also named in the squad.
Darren Plant
