ESPNcricinfo
Jos Buttler has earned a surprise recall to England’s Test team at the expense of James Vince, while the Somerset spinner, Dominic Bess, was the beneficiary of his team-mate Jack Leach’s misfortune, as the new national selector, Ed Smith, unveiled his squad for next week’s first Test against Pakistan.
Buttler, who has not played red-ball cricket for England since the tour of India in November and December 2016, has found a rich vein of form for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL this month, with a tournament-record five consecutive half-centuries, including unbeaten scores of 95 and 94 in his last two innings.
“Jos Buttler is an outstanding talent, who is already a central part of England’s white-ball teams,” Smith said. “The selection panel feels that this is the perfect moment to reintroduce Jos to Test cricket, where he has already enjoyed some success, including a stint playing as a specialist batsman at number seven. Jos is playing with great confidence and flair, and he will bring unique qualities to the Test team.”
Team: Joe Root (capt), Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood