Rashid, Moeen, and Jamie Porter called up to England Test squad

The 21-year-old Somerset player had impressed onlookers with his attitude in two Tests against Pakistan, but has been dropped after England chose to include off-spinner Moeen Ali and leg-spinner Adil Rashid as their spin options.

The two have been stalwarts in England’s white-ball sides of late - playing a key part in England’s ascent to being the No.1 side in the MRF Tyres ODI rankings - but haven't been in the Test fold in recent times.

Moeen Ali was dropped after a poor tour of Australia and New Zealand in the winter, where he took five wickets in six Tests at an average of 126.80 and scored 207 runs at an average of 18.81 - a knock of 40 his highest score. Prior to his omission from the side Ali was England's first choice spinner, so - after taking eight wickets in a recent Worcestershire defeat against Somerset, including his first County Championship five-for in five years - his recall is less of a surprise than Rashid’s.

The leg-spinner played the most recent of his 10 Tests in 2016 in India; all his Test appearances to date have come in Asia. After being overlooked for England’s red-ball sides since then, despite being their leading wicket-taker on that tour of India and starring in ODI and T20I cricket, Rashid chose at the beginning of the summer to sign a white-ball-only contract with Yorkshire, seemingly putting his Test ambitions on hold until at least after the Cricket World Cup 2019.

His ODI form soared following that decision. He was joint leading wicket-taker in England's 5-0 whitewash of Australia, while his dismissal of Virat Kohli in the decisive third ODI between the two sides, a ripping leg-break that pitched on leg stump, hit off and prompted a stunned reaction from the Indian captain, quickly went viral, leading many to question whether he might be able to have similar success in Test cricket.

Basing a Test recall purely on white-ball form has recent precedent, with Jos Buttler called up to the England squad after scoring five successive IPL fifties and subsequently earning England’s Player of the Series award against Pakistan. But some fear the effect Rashid’s selection could have on spinners who ply their trade in the Championship with success, only to be overlooked for those who have given up the competition altogether.

“Moeen Ali has taken his strong bowling form from England’s ODI team into the county championship, where he picked up eight wickets in a fine display against Somerset this week.” Said national selector Ed Smith. “Moeen is recalled to the XIII having missed out on selection against Pakistan.

“Adil Rashid also returns to the England Test squad. Before the selection meeting, Adil had confirmed his availability to play Test cricket for England for whole of this summer and the upcoming winter tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies. Following his earlier decision in February 2018, Adil has a white-ball only contract to play for Yorkshire this summer. That arrangement is unchanged by his selection for England. However, Adil fully understands that if he wishes to be eligible for Test cricket in the 2019 season, he must have a county contract to play four-day cricket. Moving forward, England Test players must be committed to the county championship.

“Clearly, the one-off circumstances around Adil’s return to the Test squad are unusual. However, the selection panel was unanimous in believing that Adil should be selected in England’s squad.”

The two spinners who will be most aggrieved are Bess and Jack Leach. The former looks a precocious talent, having already taken seven five-wicket hauls in 22 first-class games. But having looked raw on Test debut, it seems the ECB are allowing him time to mature.

The latter has been the leading spinner in England in the past three years and made a capable Test debut in New Zealand, only to be ruled out of parts of the season with injuries. Smith indicated that both players remain in his and his panel’s thoughts.

“Jack Leach has had an exceptional run of bad luck which now leaves him short of bowling at the start of the series against India,” he said. “Having broken his thumb before the first Test against Pakistan, Jack then suffered concussion on his return to county cricket. As a result, Jack has bowled only 37 overs in county or Lions cricket since first being injured. The selection panel felt it was too early for Jack to play in a Test match. Though he is not included in the XIII, Jack will join the team throughout preparations for the Test.

“The same applies to Dom Bess. Dom made an outstanding all-round contribution in his debut series against Pakistan and impressed everyone with his character and competitiveness. For different reasons, unfortunately Dom has also found opportunities scarce in championship cricket. Though not included in the XIII, he will also practice fully with the squad before the Test.

England’s batting order was more settled coming into this squad announcement. Opener Keaton Jennings and middle-order batsman Dawid Malan were the two players with places most at risk, but with the former having played only one Test since his recall, and the latter having shown signs of return to form with twin fifties for the England Lions against India A, both were expected to be included.

The make up of their fast bowling attack was less certain, with Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes and Durham’s Mark Wood both injury concerns. England have a cavalcade of options, who have recently played Test cricket, to call upon – the likes of Craig Overton, Jake Ball, and even Steven Finn – but have chosen instead to call up Essex’s Jamie Porter for the first time.

Operating in the low-to-mid 80s, accurate, and capable of hitting the seam regularly, the quick played a vital hand in Essex’s barnstorming march to the County Championship title last season, taking 85 first-class wickets at 16.74. After injury ruled him out of a Lions tour in the winter, he has impressed again, taking 28 wickets at 26.82 in this year’s Championship.

Teenage all-rounder Sam Curran also retains his place. Like Bess, the youngster looked raw on his Test debut against Pakistan, which he played instead of the injured Ben Stokes. He has perhaps been included with an eye on the short- and long-term future, with Stokes set to miss the second Test against India due to a court appearance.

“Jamie Porter has been the outstanding seam bowler in the county championship over the past three seasons. He also impressed for the Lions v India A last week. With his resilience and appetite for wicket-taking, Jamie fully deserves his elevation to the England Test squad. Sam Curran, also full of form and confidence in Lions and county cricket, retains his place in the squad after his promising debut at Headingley.”

**England squad:**Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Dawid Malan, Keaton Jennings, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Jamie Porter