England bring Woakes, Carse and Overton into squad for first India Test

There is still a fortnight to go until the first Test against India but England are a team in a hurry these days. On Thursday morning they named a 14-man squad for the series opener, with Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes, and Jamie Overton all drafted in as options with the ball after Gus Atkinson was ruled out through injury.

No official date has been put on Atkinson’s return after a hamstring issue picked up during the innings victory against Zimbabwe last month. But with a week between the first Test at Headingley that starts on 20 June and the second at Lord’s, England are hopeful that the breakout star of last year can have an impact on the five-match series.

In the meantime, five seamers are likely to compete for three spots in the XI, with Josh Tongue and Sam Cook retained after the one-off Test against Zimbabwe and the unused Matthew Potts now overlooked altogether. Cook, who took one for 119 on debut, will be hoping for a second chance to impress with the new ball.

This may hinge on whether Woakes is up to speed, with the 36-year-old’s start to the summer delayed by a bone stress reaction in his ankle. Having played one round of county cricket for Warwickshire a fortnight ago, the next fitness test comes with an outing for England Lions against India A starting on Friday. Tongue will similarly feature in this match, making the early release of the Test squad a surprise.

The same can be said for Overton’s recall, three years after his solitary Test cap against New Zealand and now nursing a broken little finger. Although with Atkinson missing, and Woakes still to prove his readiness, the long-handle with which Overton plundered 97 on debut could shore up the lower order. Carse, back after a toe injury and having shone in Test cricket last winter, can also hold a bat.

More predictable was an instant return for Jacob Bethell, who missed the one-off Zimbabwe Test due to its clash with the Indian Premier League. With the 21-year-old all-rounder having shone during his maiden series in New Zealand last winter, the question now is whether he slots into the XI at the earliest opportunity.

If so it would represent something of a U-turn from Ben Stokes. Irked by debate around the No 3 position, and having watched Ollie Pope deliver a sparkling 171 at Trent Bridge in Bethell’s absence, Stokes chuntered about a “media agenda” in his post-match press conference and threw his weight behind his vice-captain.

More positive for Stokes in the aftermath of that game was his own return to bowling after hamstring surgery at the start of the year. As a result, an initial plan to turn out for the Lions has been dropped and Stokes, who tends to opt out of warm-up cricket on tour, will probably continue his preparations in training.