James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow and Mark Wood have been recalled to England’s Test squad for the upcoming tour to South Africa.
England record wicket-taker Anderson has not featured for his country since suffering a calf injury on day one of the first Ashes Test in August.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Bairstow struggled during that series and was dropped for the subsequent tour to New Zealand.
England Test squad for South Africa
Joe Root, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Durham star Wood, whose last Test appearance came in February, is recovering from a knee injury and side strain sustained during the World Cup final in July.
Joe Root’s side lost in New Zealand last month and will look to bounce back in a four-match series against South Africa, starting in Centurion on December 26.
The two sides will then travel to Cape Town and Port Elizabeth before Johannesburg’s New Wanderers Stadium hosts the final Test of the series.
Commenting on England’s squad announcement, national selector Ed Smith said: ‘With James Anderson and Mark Wood returning to the squad, Saqib Mahmood is the unfortunate player to miss out.
‘It is not predicted that Mark [Wood] will be available for selection for the earliest matches. However, he will travel with the team and continue his rehab work with the medical staff on tour.
‘There is no exact date given for his return, but the medical team is working towards him becoming fully available for selection during the tour.
‘With that in mind, and given the extended period that James and Mark have had on the sidelines due to injury, it was sensible to have a 17-man squad.
‘Moeen Ali, who asked to take a break from Test cricket last summer, remains unavailable for Test selection.
‘Jonny Bairstow returns to the England squad after missing out on the New Zealand tour. Jonny, Mark and James are already in South Africa on a training camp ahead of the Test tour.’
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