A harried England team management, smarting from the loss in the second Test at Lord's, has called up batsman Dawid Malan to bolster the top order for the third Test against India to be played in Leeds from August 25.
England lost the first Test by 151 runs in a dramatic fashion after their top-order collapsed and exposed the middle and lower order to Indian bowlers.
The England openers have failed to put up a substantial partnership.
We've named our squad for the third LV= Insurance Test match.
Welcome back @dmalan29
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) August 18, 2021
If Malan plays, he will represent England in a Test after exactly three years. He has played 15 Test matches and scored 724 runs.
In fact, the 33-year-old Malan's last Test was against India during Kohli & Co's 2018 tour of England.
Batsmen Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley are omitted and will return to Kent and Warwickshire respectively, to spend some time playing.
"Dawid Malan deserves his opportunity in the Test arena. He has a lot of experience across all formats and, if called upon, I am confident that he can come and do well on his home ground," said England head coach Chris Silverwood in a statement issued by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
"In the limited time he has played first-class cricket this season, he has shown what he is capable of, scoring a highly accomplished 199 for Yorkshire against Sussex at Headingley in June," added Silverwood.
Also, Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood is included in the squad after impressing in all formats. He has yet to make his Test debut but will be aiming to add to his England credentials, having already been capped by the senior side in ODIs and IT20s.
The 24-year-old right-arm quick is familiar with the England set-up, having toured as a reserve during England's winter Test programmes in Sri Lanka and India. In addition, he was part of the extended squads during last summer's behind closed doors Test series against West Indies and Pakistan and was called up as back up in the build-up to the first Test at Lord's.
Meanwhile, batsmen Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley are omitted and will return to Kent and Warwickshire respectively, to spend some time playing. Somerset spinner Jack Leach will also return to Taunton, but remains on standby as back-up to Moeen Ali.
The England medical team will monitor seamer Mark Wood's injured right shoulder sustained at the end of day four during the first Test at Lord's. It is expected that he will make a full recovery ahead of the Headingley Test, said the statement from ECB.
England squad for the third Test:
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.
