• Ed Smith says: ‘Bairstow at his best is an asset’• Mark Wood and Jimmy Anderson also in 17-man squad
After England’s expedition to
New Zealand proved to be a bit of a shambles – despite winning the first day of the series they lost the first Test and somehow ended up in the second with three unproven batsmen, a rookie wicketkeeper and no spinner in their 11 – the touring party for
South Africa has been bolstered by some familiar names.
Back come Jimmy Anderson, Mark Wood and Jonny Bairstow while Moeen Ali “remains unavailable for Test cricket”. There is clearly a determination not to be caught short this time, especially since this series, unlike the one in New Zealand, counts in the Test Championship.