Jonny Bairstow returns as England name squad for one-off Test against Ireland

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) named the 15-member squad for the forthcoming One-off Test against Ireland which is slated to start on Thursday, June 1. Notably, pacer Jofra Archer is ruled out for the remainder of the summer owing to recurring a stress fracture to his right elbow.

On the other hand, seasoned pacer James Anderson who recent sustained 'mild strain' to his right groin, has been included in the setup. Jonny Bairstow has been given the green signal by the management following his broken left leg and dislocated ankle in a freak golf accident and is set to don the Whites for the first time since August 2022.

Notably, Ollie Pope has been named deputy of the side with immediate effect whereas Ben Stokes is set to continue his reign as the skipper.

ECB Managing Director for England Men's Cricket, Rob Key, expressed his delight and stated that the Test match would be a great start to the summer considering The Ashes 2023 in the horizon. Furthermore, he explained the exclusion of Ben Foakes by citing that the think tank had to pick Jonny Bairstow for his performances last summer. 

"We are looking forward to the summer ahead and getting into the swing of things, starting with a good test against Ireland. 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,” Rob Key was quoted as saying by ECB’s official website. 

The managing director further highlighted Jofra’s injury, stating that the injury has been frustrating for the pacer and further wished him luck on his recovery.

“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,” he added.

England’s Test squad against Ireland- Ben Stokes (c), 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

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