| Location: Lord Date: June 1-4 Time: 11:00 BST |
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Fast bowler Jofra Archer has been absent for the summer but Jonny Bairstow has returned to the England Test team as wicketkeeper in place of Ben Foakes.
Bairstow, who has not played for England since breaking his leg in August, will take the gloves against Ireland on June 1.
Fast bowler Archer has a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow.
James Anderson has been named in the 15-man squad despite picking up a chest injury while playing for Lancashire.
The four-day Test against Ireland at Lord’s is England’s final preparation for the Ashes series against Australia, which starts on 16 June.
England team: Ben Stokes (Durham captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Anderson is joined by Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson and Matthew Potts in the pace department, while Mark Wood provides the best pace after missing out on a 1-1 draw with New Zealand.
There is also the recall of Chris Woakes, who last played a Test in March last year and has not featured since captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took over.
Batter Ollie Pope has been officially confirmed as Stokes’ vice-captain after leading England in a warm-up game this winter. His rise is important, given Stokes’ recent struggles with a long-term knee complaint.
Surrey’s Foakes, 30, can count himself unlucky. Always listed by Stokes as “the best wicketkeeper in the world”, he has been England’s regular in their 10th tournament from their last 12 matches.
However, after Bairstow suffered a sudden injury after going off the golf course, his replacement Harry Brook made the best start to his Test career, with four hundreds in six matches.
This left England with the problem of how to handle the returning Bairstow, who smashed six centuries in 2022 before being injured.
Any suggestion of revamping the batting order was not in doubt – some recommended Stokes as an opener – leaving a straightforward choice between Bairstow and Foakes.
Bairstow, 33, has kept 49 of his 89 Tests and will take his place behind the stumps for the first time since September 2021.
“It was a very difficult decision to leave Ben Foakes out of the squad. He did very well for England last year, but Jonny Bairstow is one of the best players in the world and his performances last summer showed who we are,” said England’s director of cricket Rob Key. .
The fresh elbow injury is the latest setback for the 28-year-old Archer, who has not played a Test since February 2021.
After a series of back and elbow problems, Archer returned to white cricket for England earlier this year.
However, he made an early return from his stint with Indian Premier League side Mumbai Indians after suffering another injury to his elbow and a scan revealed a fracture.
He has spent much of his recovery with medical teams from England and his home county of Sussex, but there must be serious doubt as to whether Archer will add to his 13 Test caps.
“It has been a sad and frustrating time for Jofra Archer,” Key said.
“He was making good progress until a recurring elbow injury, which kept him out for a long time.
“We wish him all the best with his recovery. I believe we will see Jofra back to his best and best form in England, whatever form it takes. Hopefully, soon.”
‘England should choose a fire extinguisher over firefighters’
Analysis by BBC cricket chief editor Stephan Shemilt
For all the talk of rejigging the batting to accommodate the returning Jonny Bairstow, it was always Ben Foakes who was the most vulnerable.
Of course, Foakes has lost his place to Harry Brook, whose four centuries in six Tests required inclusion.
There will be concern that England have chosen Bairstow to chase Foakes’ superior glovework – Cricviz rates Foakes as the best keeper to have played 10 or more Tests since 2016 and his sensitivity with the gloves gives him a 10-plus advantage over Bairstow in the game. Exam courses.
But Bairstow is no stranger behind the stumps. A completion efficiency of 88% in the 49 Tests he took the gloves on is better than Foakes’ 81%.
Foakes was once a reliable figure in England’s midfield – a fireman who could walk into danger when the players in front of him had their fingers burnt.
He played crucial innings in the defeats of New Zealand at Lord’s, South Africa at Old Trafford and Pakistan at Karachi.
Bairstow, however, can bring the pyrotechnics and can win Tests from number seven.
In fact, they will cause a lot of fear in Australia and the line-up of Joe Root, Brook, Ben Stokes and Bairstow looks interesting.
Foakes may be a fireman, but to win the Ashes you need fire and England have chosen a fire starter.