England Lions to see Chris Woakes make comeback with even skipper Ben Stokes likely to join the side as well.
Chris Woakes to make comeback in England Lions matches against India.
When Chris Woakes returns to action for the England Lions’ two-match series against the tourists later this month, he will be tested for fitness for the five-Test series against India next month. Depending on how he does in his own comeback to competition in this week’s Test against Zimbabwe, Ben Stokes might still play in at least one of those matches at Canterbury and Northampton.
However, Jofra Archer will not be returning to red-ball action straight away. He was originally scheduled to play in the second of those two matches, starting at Wantage Road on June 6, but it now appears that he will be sidelined owing to a right-thumb injury he sustained during the IPL earlier this month.
James Rew of Somerset, the backup batsman in the current Zimbabwe Test team, has been selected captain of England’s first 15-man squad for the two four-day matches starting on May 30.
The team is exceptionally strong, with multiple strong candidates for Test selection, which is a change from England’s recent strategy for tour matches. Among them is Jordan Cox of Essex, who was originally picked for this week’s Test team ahead of Rew but suffered an abdominal strain during a century against Somerset at Taunton earlier this month.
Farhan, the younger brother of England’s legspinner Rehan Ahmed, will make his debut in the national squad. Farhan’s offspin has been impressive for Nottinghamshire in recent months. Ben McKinney, Durham’s opener, Josh Hull, a left-arm seamer who made a one-off Test debut against Sri Lanka last summer, and another former Under-19 graduate, Zak Crawley, who is now off of form, are also noteworthy additions.
However, Woakes is the most seasoned player in the starting lineup, and the two games provide him an opportunity to regain his Test spot after an ankle injury delayed his season debut.
It is impossible to overestimate Woakes’ worth in English conditions, even at 36. He took over as England’s attack leader from James Anderson and won the Compton-Miller medal in the 2023 Ashes after taking 19 wickets at 18.15 and another 24 at 20.25 last summer.
Stokes’ performance at Trent Bridge in the upcoming days will determine his participation in the Lions series. With ten Test matches against Australia and India in the upcoming six months, he is approaching his comeback cautiously, even though he hopes to play a full role with bat and ball in the Zimbabwe Test, his first competitive match since he tore his hamstring during the tour of New Zealand in December.