Stokes recalled to England Test squad

England

Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes has been recalled to the England Test side, named in the 13-man squad to face India in a five-match series after months out of action due to a broken wrist.

Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes has been recalled to the England Test side, named in the 13-man squad to face India in a five-match series after months out of action due to a broken wrist.

Stokes broke his wrist near the thumb when he punched a locker in the Caribbean early this year, reacting poorly to being dismissed against the West Indies. As such, he missed the World Twenty20, and England subsequent series defeats to Sri Lanka.

But the batting all rounder has been in superb form for Durham this season, first with the second XI and more recently for the first team. He was not yet fit to bowl for England but has taken a number of wickets since his county return.

National selector James Whitaker said: "It's really good news for Ben and us. We know what he is capable of.

"We always felt he needed a quantity of cricket behind him and he has had that now. It's another seamer we can add to our pool. We are going to need a depth of seamers."

Stokes' return poses a selection conundrum for the starting XI. While it was be easy enough to bring him into a 13-man squad, the rest the same as the one that faced Sri Lanka, the question remains who he would play in place of come Trent Bridge.

The prevailing thought is that either Chris Jordan or Moeen Ali could make way, as both played as all-rounders against Sri Lanka. It would be more harsh on Ali though, who scored a century in the second Test and nearly saved the game.

Otherwise, the squad retained Matt Prior as wicketkeeper, as expected despite calls from the fans to add Jos Buttler, while veteran paceman James Anderson and Stuart Broad were obvious inclusions. Whether they will be rested during the series remains to be seen.

<b>Squad</b>: Alastair Cook, Sam Robson, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, James Anderson, Liam Plunkett, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes.

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