England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced their playing XI for the upcoming one-off Test against Ireland starting from June 1 at Lord's. The hosts have been troubled by injuries ahead of the crucial Ashes series and a couple of their key bowlers have already been ruled out of this Test match due to injuries. James Anderson and Ollie Robinson will not be featuring against Ireland in a bid to stay completely fit for the Ashes.
Young Josh Tongue has been handed a Test debut even as Stuart Broad will lead a new-look bowling attack. Jack Leach is set to be the only spinner in the line-up while Matthew Potts in the third pacer. Confirming the injuries while speaking to Sky Sports, England Test head coach Brendon McCullum said, "We've got a couple of niggles, so we're just monitoring those at the moment. Every team that goes into a series has got a couple of little things that you need to work through, but we're pretty confident we'll have a good squad to be able to pick from."
Interestingly, the players who were part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have also returned. Skipper Ben Stokes had already cleared that he is keen to play the Ireland Test and left the Chennai Super Kings camp soon after the league stage ended. Harry Brook endured some tough days at the IPL while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad despite scoring a century while Joe Root didn't get to show off his skills much in the Rajasthan Royals camp.
Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow is set to make his return to international cricket following a freak injury at the golf course last year. He last played for England in August 2022 and has proved his fitness in the County Championship as well. Bairstow has replaced Ben Foakes in the squad and will be taking the gloves again.
England Playing XI for Ireland Test: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue (Debut), Jack Leach.
