England left out Jonny Bairstow from their squad announced Sunday for the first two Tests of next month's three-match series against the West Indies, with wicketkeeping duties set to be taken over by the uncapped Jamie Smith.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
There was no place in the squad either for Ben Foakes, the first-choice wicketkeeper in a Surrey team where the 23-year-old Smith is often deployed as a specialist batsman.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Smith was one of three uncapped players included in a 14-man squad, with promising seamers Gus Atkinson and Dillon Pennington included as England look to rebuild ahead of the 2025\/26 Ashes series in Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Jack Leach was omitted, with Somerset team-mate Shoaib Bashir the lone specialist spinner in the squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bairstow won his 100th cap in England's previous Test, against India in Dharamsala, but a top score of 38 in 10 innings leaves him battling to salvage his career in the five-day game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Since spending nearly a year out of the game following a horrifying leg break in a freak accident on a golf course, Bairstow has struggled to regain top form.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Foakes was widely praised for his work in the field as England's wicketkeeper during their 4-1 series loss in India, but he averages under 30 with the bat in Tests.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Smith, who featured twice in last year's one-day international series against Ireland, appears more in tune with the aggressive 'Bazball' approach England have adopted under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He made a stunning 155 in 179 balls for the County Championship title holders against Warwickshire earlier in the campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
And Smith celebrated his England call-up by hitting exactly 100, with two sixes and 14 fours, in Surrey's Championship match against Essex on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The first Test at Lord's starts on July 10, with the match set to be England great James Anderson's last before the 41-year-old paceman retires from the format.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With fellow new-ball bowler Stuart Broad having already retired after last year's drawn home Ashes series, England must now decide how to replace two bowlers who have taken a monumental 1,304 Test wickets between them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The experienced Chris Woakes was recalled Sunday for the first time since being named player of the series in the 2023 Ashes against Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Injuries, however, have deprived England of several rising stars.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, given repeated warnings about his fitness, was still omitted on Sunday -- just days after being hit for a record 43 in an over by Leicestershire's Louis Kimber.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Durham's Matthew Potts has been recalled, having taken an encouraging 23 wickets at under 30 in six Tests following a debut in 2022.<\/p>\r\n\r\n