Burns, Denly and Stone in England squad for Sri Lanka Tests
England have named uncapped trio Rory Burns, Joe Denly and Olly Stone in their Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, while resisting the temptation to rest James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Surrey opener Burns had been widely expected to make the party as a direct replacement for the retired Alastair Cook, after a stellar season in County Championship Division One that has garnered 1,319 runs at an average just shy of 70.
Kent batsman Denly has been part of the side to win promotion back to the top tier, making almost 800 runs, while earlier this week Warwickshire quick Stone was also selected in the squad for the five ODIs that precede the Test matches.
"Joe Denly has had an excellent season with bat and ball and has matured into one of the leading players in county cricket. He has that all-round touch of class that can help at the highest level," said national selector Ed Smith.
"Olly Stone is an exciting talent who bowls with pace and skill. His 37 wickets in the County Championship have come at an average of 12.27 and a strike rate of 22.22.
"Rory Burns, who has led Surrey to the Championship title, has been the most consistent run-scorer in county cricket in recent seasons and fully deserves his elevation to the Test squad."
BREAKING NEWS
We've confirmed our Test squad for November's series against Sri Lanka:
https://t.co/thRRGn3a4S pic.twitter.com/xJesNVK4Tw
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 21, 2018
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Keaton Jennings keeps his place despite averaging just 22 from a dozen Tests, while Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Jack Leach - whose sole international appearance came against New Zealand earlier this year - are the three front-line spinners included.
There had been talk of England resting their premier seam bowlers, but both Anderson and Broad, with 997 wickets between them in the longest form, make the trip.
Burns' county team-mate Ollie Pope, who featured in two Tests against India in the recent 4-1 win, has also won a spot for the three-match series, which begins in Galle on November 6.
England Test squad to face Sri Lanka: Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Rory Burns, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.