England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have named 12-man squad for the first Test match against Sri Lanka, beginning on May 19 (Thursday) at Headingley.Uncapped batsman James Vince and fast bowler Jake Ball have been included. The selectors have stuck largely with the same side that won in South Africa over the winter.
Hampshire batsman James Vince could well be making his Test debut in Leeds, owing to a vacancy following the untimely retirement through heart disease of the talented James Taylor.Vince averages 44.50 in the County Championship. The 25-year old bowler, Jake Ball has been phenomenal in the County Championship and is the joint leading wicket-taker in the first division, grabbed 19 wickets at an impressive average of 21.15.
James Whitaker, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) National selector said: “Both Jake Ball and James Vince thoroughly deserve their opportunity having performed well with the England Lions and starting the season in good form with their respective counties”
“Building on his success with the Lions in the winter, Jake has impressed with the ball and shown excellent control and skill in the opening matches of the County Championship. If selected, we are confident he will perform very well at international level.
“James has been a consistent performer for Hampshire and England Lions over the past few years. He is already well regarded by the England coaches in the short format and now has the opportunity to showcase his skills at Test level,” he added.
The home series of England against Sri Lanka will comprise of three tests, 5 One Day Internationals and a T20 International.
England Test squad: Alastair Cook (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jake Ball, Stuart Broad, Nick Compton, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, James Vince.
Sri Lanka Test squad: Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dhammika Prasad, Dilruwan Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Dushmantha Chameera, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana, Niroshan Dickwella, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal
A separate squad for Sri Lanka will be named for the five one-day internationals and single T20 that follow the test series.
