England have announced their Playing XI for the first Test match against the West Indies, starting at the iconic Lord’s 10 July.
This match will mark pacer Chris Woakes’ return to the England Playing XI for the first time since last summer’s Ashes against Australia. Meanwhile, Surrey players Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith will make their Test debuts.
Somerset spinner Shoaib Bashir will play his first Test match on home soil after debuting in India earlier this year.
It is pertinent to mention that legendary pacer James Anderson will take the field as England player for the last time in this match, at the same venue where he made his debut 21 years ago against Zimbabwe.
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Anderson is the only pacer in history to take more than 700 Test wickets. He achieved the milestone during England’s fifth away Test against India, in March this year.
He is also the third in the list of players with the most Test wickets, only behind spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets) of Sri Lanka and the late Shane Warne (708 wickets) of Australia.
The second match between England and West Indies will be played from 18 to 22 July at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, while the third match is scheduled to be played in Edgbaston in Birmingham from 26 July.
England Playing XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson
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