BIRMINGHAM: England have announced a 15-member squad for the third and final Test against Pakistan, retaining Sonny Baker while leaving pacer Matthew Fisher out of the squad for the series finale.
England have already secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series and will now look to complete a clean sweep when the final Test begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham on September 9.
The hosts opened the series with a dominant innings-and-103-run victory at Headingley before producing another emphatic performance at Lord’s, where they defeated Pakistan by 194 runs to wrap up the series with one match remaining.
Baker has kept his place in the squad following his inclusion for the second Test, while Fisher has been omitted from the 15-man group for the Edgbaston fixture.
England’s back-to-back victories have also strengthened their position in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. The Lord’s win helped them move above Sri Lanka into sixth place in the WTC standings.
Pakistan, meanwhile, remain at the bottom of the table and will be hoping to end their difficult tour with a consolation victory in Birmingham.
The heavy defeats have also triggered major changes within the Pakistan camp. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sent seven players home following the Lord’s Test while head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from their positions.
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Seven replacements have subsequently been added to the squad, with white-ball head coach Mike Hesson taking charge of the red-ball side for the remainder of the series.
England squad for third Test
Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.