Surrey men Sam Curran & Ben Foakes have been named in England’s 16-man squad for the two Test tour of Sri Lanka in January.
Opening batsman Rory Burns misses the tour as his wife is expecting their first child during the second week of January.
Ollie Pope, who is recovering from a shoulder injury sustained in September during the Test series against Pakistan, will join the squad and continue his rehab in readiness for the four-match Test series against India starting in February.
Surrey spinner Amar Virdi, uncapped at senior international level, is one of seven reserves for the tour.
The touring party depart on 2 January and will play two Test matches behind closed doors at Galle International Cricket Stadium on 14-18 January and 22-26 January.
Foakes will return to the sight of his outstanding Test debut back in November 2018, when he was named Man of the Match after a first innings century. Curran also featured in two Tests of that three-match tour.
England Men’s Test Squad:
Joe Root (Yorkshire) (captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Reserves:
James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Amar Virdi (Surrey)
