Jonathan Bairstow was named in an England Test squad for the first time when he was included in a 13-man party for the series opener against the West Indies at Lord's starting Thursday.
The 22-year-old Yorkshireman is set to bat at number six after all-rounder Ravi Bopara, in line to fill that middle order spot, was omitted from the squad after suffering a thigh injury playing for Essex.
Bairstow, who has played in six one-day internationals and six Twenty20 internationals, is the only player in England's 13 yet to be capped at Test level.
Since making an impressive ODI debut against India in Cardiff last September, he has also continued to shine in the longer format this year with two centuries already in this season's County Championship.
He has also made a fifty in the ongoing tour match between the second-string England Lions and the West Indies which concludes at Northampton on Sunday.
Bairstow was preferred to fellow 22-year-old, Lions captain James Taylor of Leicestershire, who hit a hundred in the current match.
Assuming the batsman/wicketkeeper is selected on Thursday, Bairstow would complete a notable family double as he is the son of the late former Yorkshire and England keeper David Bairstow, who appeared in four Tests from 1979 to 1981.
England's squad also included five seamers in Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions, as well as likely new ball duo James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
England won just once in five Tests during their winter series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and away to Sri Lanka after reaching the top of the International Cricket Council rankings at home last year.
England squad:
Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Bairstow, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Graham Onions.
AFP
Tags: sport, cricket, england First posted May 13, 2012 19:59:08
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