Bairstow left out for NZ tour
England have dropped Jonny Bairstow from their Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, with paceman James Anderson unavailable for the two-match series due to a calf injury.
Four uncapped players will be on the plane -- Warwickshire opener Dominic Sibley, Kent batsman Zak Crawley and Lancashire pair Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson.
Batsman Jason Roy, who starred in England’s World Cup triumph, is another name missing from the 15-strong Test squad after a difficult Ashes series, which ended 2-2 last week.
Surrey batsman Ollie Pope, who played two Tests against India in 2018, is back in the squad while Jos Buttler will be the wicketkeeper in New Zealand due to Bairstow’s absence.
Bairstow, 29, scored just 214 runs in the five Ashes Tests during the English summer at an average of 23.77.
Anderson, England’s top Test wicket-taker, has been out of action since the first Test against Australia and is targeting the South Africa tour, starting in December.
The first Test, at Mount Maunganui, starts on November 21. The series is not included in the new World Test Championship.
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