England have reacted to falling 1-0 down in theTest series against India by recalling Yorkshire batsman Dawid Malan after a three-year absence and axing struggling opener Dom Sibley.
India prevailed by 151 runs at Lord’s, where Sibley made scores of 11 and nought as his average dipped to 19.77 in 10 Tests this year, prompting England to issue a summons to the world’s No 1-ranked Twenty20 batsman.
Malan made the last of his 15 Test appearances in August 2018 but has been in encouraging form in the white-ball formats while an innings of 199 in his only first-class appearance this season has made his case compelling.
With Zak Crawley also omitted from a 15-strong squad to take on India in the third Test at Headingley, which gets under way on August 25, the expectation is Haseeb Hameed will move up from first drop to open alongside Rory Burns.
Malan, 33, will therefore by vying for the No 3 spot with Ollie Pope — although there is the possibility that Jonny Bairstow could be shuffled up the order, given he has previously batted in the position.
England head coach Chris Silverwood said: “Dawid Malan deserves his opportunity in the Test arena. He has a lot of experience across all formats and, if called upon, I am confident that he can come and do well on his home ground.
“In the limited time he has played first-class cricket this season, he has shown what he is capable of, scoring a highly accomplished 199 for Yorkshire against Sussex at Headingley in June.”
Crawley and Sibley are to return respectively to Kent and Warwickshire while slow left-armer Jack Leach is set to head back to Somerset but will act as cover for off-spinning all-rounder Moeen Ali.
“Zak is still a massive part of our plans moving forward, but we feel he would benefit from time outside the pressure of international competition to get some time working on his skills,” added Silverwood.
“He has a bright future and I do not doubt that his time will come again in the Test arena.
“Dom Sibley needs some time away to regain his confidence after a challenging period. He will return to Warwickshire to spend time in the middle without the scrutiny and find some rhythm and confidence. Dom offers a lot of value to the Test environment and some time away should help him. However, he remains part of our plans.
“Jack Leach will return to Somerset to get some game time. I have been impressed with his patience and it’s not easy living under the Covid protocols, especially when you’re not playing.
“However, he has regained his confidence and spark, and it has been a considerable asset having him around. He will be on standby should we need his services, but we want what is best for him and playing cricket and getting overs into him is the way to go.”
Saqib Mahmood was drafted in before the second Test as standby after Stuart Broad suffered a series-ending calf injury last week, and the Lancashire seamer, uncapped at Test level, is in contention again before the squad reporting to its Leeds base on Sunday.
Mahmood could be called on after Mark Wood emerged at the weekend as the latest fitness worry to a fast bowling line-up already shorn of Broad, Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Olly Stone because of injury.
Wood hurt his right shoulder on Sunday but he bowled on the final day of the second Test and England expect the paceman to make a full recovery before their trip to Headingley, with their medical team monitoring the situation.
England v India player ratings for second Test
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Rory Burns – 5. (49, 0) Provided a solid enough start in the first innings, but was burned in the heat of the last afternoon. -
Dom Sibley – 2. (11, 0) Lucky to survive the cull after England’s raft of changes for this Test. Surely his time is up now. -
Haseeb Hameed – 4. (0, 9) Showed some fight on a tough final day, but overall it was a harsh examination on his return after five years out. -
Joe Root - 9. (180 not out, 33) Not the most broad-shouldered bloke, but he must be strong. He has been carrying his side for ages. -
Jonny Bairstow – 6. (57, 2) Continues to look the part on his return to Test cricket, but England needed more in each innings from him. -
Jos Buttler – 6. (23, 25) Battled against his flaws with a plucky rear guard for 96 balls, but just came up short. -
Moeen Ali – 6. (27, 13; 1-53, 2-84) Middling returns on the scorecard, but a promising return to the side nonetheless. -
Sam Curran – 2. (0, 0; 0-72, 1-41) Minimal threat with the ball. A first ever king pair at Lord’s. Dismissing Kohli was the only redeeming feature. -
Ollie Robinson – 6. (2-73, 2-45) His radar was slightly awry at times. The second-innings wicket of Pant felt crucial – but didn’t turn out that way. -
Mark Wood – 7. (2-91, 3-51) Extraordinary that he hit such high speeds despite suffering a shoulder injury. Bowls with such heart. -
James Anderson – 7. (5-62, 0-53) On the honours board for the zillionth time, but distracted by Bumrah when the game was there to be won. -
INDIA RATINGS: Rohit Sharma – 7. (83, 21) Sparkling first innings deserved a century, but his dismissal in the second was naive. -
KL Rahul – 8. (129, 5) Gave a masterclass in how to play the swinging ball with his first-innings ton. -
Cheteshwar Pujara – 5 (9, 45) Kudos for digging in, although he is really struggling at the minute. -
Virat Kohli – 7. (42, 20) His search for a century goes on, but his captaincy remains aggressive and astute. -
Ajinkya Rahane – 6 (1, 61) Dogged effort in the second innings despite still being out of sync. -
Rishabh Pant – 6. (37, 22) Simmered in both innings without quite reaching the boil either time. -
Ravindra Jadeja – 6. (40, 3; 0-43, 0-5) Hard to argue he was under-bowled on the final day, as India got the job done, but he might have played more of a role. -
Mohammed Shami – 7. (2-95, 1-13) His long-awaited second half-century in Tests extinguished England’s chances of winning. -
Ishant Sharma – 7. (3-69, 2-13) Perhaps the least celebrated of India’s quicks, but his contribution in both innings was vital. -
Jasprit Bumrah – 7. (0-79, 3-33) Literally overstepped the line a couple of times, but was the heartbeat of his side again. -
Mohammed Siraj – 9. (4-94, 4-32). Does anyone in the game try harder than this guy? Makes Virat Kohli looks laissez faire.
