England:
Liam Livingstone, Will Jacks & Keaton Jennings in squad for Pakistan Tests
Liam Livingstone, Will
Jacks and Keaton Jennings have been named in the England squad for the
three-Test series in Pakistan in December.
Seamer Stuart Broad will miss the tour, with
the birth of his first child due in November.
There is no place for opener Alex Lees, who
has played England's past 10 Tests but missed out in a central contract
Pace bowler Mark Wood is in line to play his
first Test since March after missing the home summer through injury.
England squad for Test
series in Pakistan: Ben Stokes,
James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks,
Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie
Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.
Surrey's Jacks, 23, and England white-ball
regular Livingstone, 29, are both uncapped at Test level.
Both spin-bowling all-rounders, they will
likely compete for one spot in the Test side to support Jack Leach, the only
specialist spinner in the squad.
England were left short of spin options when
Moeen Ali opted not to take part in the tour, while leg-spinner Matt Parkinson,
who made his Test debut as a concussion sub at the beginning of the summer, has
fallen out of favour.
Jacks averaged 54 with the bat for county
champions Surrey this summer, as well as taking 17 wickets with his off-breaks.
Livingstone has not played a first-class match since the end of the 2021
season.
Lees, who averages just under 24 in Tests,
appeared vulnerable when he was left off the central contract list announced on
Tuesday.
Lancashire's Jennings, 30, played the most
recent of his 17 Tests in 2019 and is rewarded for a fine County Championship
season in which he averaged 72.
However, he could be behind Ben Duckett in the
competition to open alongside Zak Crawley.
Nottinghamshire's Duckett was called up by
England for the final Test against South Africa in September after Jonny
Bairstow broke a leg. Harry Brook is another option to open.
Wood, fit again after elbow surgery, will
provide extra pace alongside Surrey's Jamie Overton.
Matthew Potts and Overton's twin Craig miss
out despite being in England's Test squads across the summer, while neither Sam
Curran nor Chris Woakes have been named in the 15-man squad. Broad asked not to
be considered.
Ben Foakes is the only specialist
wicketkeeper, but Duckett and Ollie Pope are capable of offering cover behind
the stumps.
England's first Test series in Pakistan since
2005 begins on 1 December in Rawalpindi, with matches in Multan and Karachi to
follow.
It will be the first overseas tour under the
leadership of coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes after they guided
England to six wins from seven Tests this summer.
England made their first trip to Pakistan in
17 years with a 4-3 win a T20 series that ended earlier this month
