New Delhi:
After battering India and winning the series on Sunday, the England cricket team have announced their 13-man squad for the fifth Test which will start from 7th September (Friday) at the Oval, London. The last Test of the five-match series is set to be the last one for the legendary opener and former England skipper Alastair Cook.
Batsman Ollie Pope and all-rounder Chris Woakes make a comeback after being left out from the team in the 4th Test. Surprisingly, Pope will be playing for his domestic side Sussex for the first two days against Essex and will join the England squad on Thursday.
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Meanwhile, no new faces have been included in the team despite England sealing the deal with a lead of 3-1.
Another opener James Vince, who was touted to replace the then-injured Jonny Bairstow for the fourth Test has been left out from the 13-man squad for the Oval Test against India. Jonny Bairstow was injured with a broken finger but the wicketkeeper-batsman was later declared fit to be a part of the playing XI as a specialist batsman leaving Vince on the bench.
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Former captain Alastair Cook will hang his boots after the Oval Test and this could be an emotional outing for the 33-year-old opener. Cook has the record for the most Test runs, Test appearances and centuries for England in the red-ball-cricket and will go out as one of the greatest players to have represented England in the gentlemen’s game.
England Squad for the 5th Test:
Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
