Surrey opener Will Jacks is all set to make his Test debut, as is Lancashire all-rounder Liam Livingstone, both of whom made the 15-man squad for England’s tour of Pakistan, which commences on December 1. Opener Alex Lees and pacer Matty Potts have been omitted from the squad, and will not feature in the three-match series against Pakistan.
Lees also did not receive a central contract offer from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which released a list of 30 players who have been offered central contracts. Although Lees has not been very successful in his Test career so far, he has played in all of England’s Test games this summer, scoring at an underwhelming average of 23.8.
Potts has been offered an incremental contract, hinting at his inclusion in the England side in the near future. He has shown promise, putting in some good performances against India and New Zealand.
Livingstone’s selection comes as a curious choice, as general consensus suggests that the longer format is not his strong suit. The Lancashire all-rounder has been mighty impressive in the white-ball formats, both for England and in various T20 leagues across the globe. Although the player has expressed his desire to play Test cricket for quite some time, he has not featured in the Three Lions squad since 2018, where he was selected for the New Zealand tour as a backup batsman.
His additional skill of spinning the ball both ways will come in extremely handy in making a case for his inclusion as England currently have only Jack Leach as their recognised spin bowling option, considering that Dom Bess has not been offered a contract this time around.
Livingstone’s County teammate Matt Parkinson, who has been around the England white-ball side for some time, was a serious contender for a Test cap, but has reportedly been pipped by Leicestershire spinner Rehan Ahmed, who is set to travel to Abu Dhabi as a net bowler.
Although Lees could still be picked in the England red-ball team, his run in the side might have concluded for the time being, considering that the likes of Keaton Jennings and Haseeb Hameed had fantastic seasons in the County Championships. Both Hameed and Jennings scored in excess of 1,000 runs in the season. The Lancashire opener Jennings has been included in the English squad for the Pakistan Tests, with the Nottingham batter reportedly being in the ranks for a recall as well.
Jennings makes a return to the England Test match side after a break of more than three years, last donning an England jersey in February 2019. He heads into the Pakistan series as the favourite for the opening slot, along with Zak Crawley. Jennings amassed 1,233 runs in the County season at a staggering average of 72.52, including a magnificent 318 against Somerset. Harry Brook is also expected to be part of the first eleven in the absence of Jonny Bairstow as the Yorkshire man looks to cement his position in the Test match squad.
England have stuck to their pace-heavy bowling attack, picking four first-choice fast bowlers in Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Overton, and the legendary Jimmy Anderson, who was also part of the England side in their last tour of Pakistan back in 2005. Anderson’s iconic bowling partner Stuart Broad misses out on the series as he takes some time off to be with family for the birth of his child.
