Surrey pair to make Test debuts in James Anderson farewell Test

Jamie Smith was always going to play after being named in the Test squad as wicketkeeper, while Gus Atkinson's Test bow comes affter touring India over the winter without making an appearance

Nick Friend | 08/07/2024 at 16:00

Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson will make their Test debuts as James Anderson makes his final appearance in an England shirt.

Smith was named as the solitary wicketkeeper in England's squad for the first two Tests against West Indies, so his inclusion is no surprise, even if the Surrey batter isn't a regular wicketkeeper at his county, where Ben Foakes has the gloves.

Atkinson, Smith's Surrey teammate, was an unused squad member on England's Test tour of India and was under consideration last summer when Josh Tongue was picked to face Ireland in a one-off Test.

Chris Woakes also returns to bat at No.8 for his first Test appearance since being named as player of the series in last summer's Ashes. He subsequently missed out on the India series but was recalled for this series ahead of the likes of Ollie Robinson. Tongue is currently absent through injury.

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^{Smith and Atkinson are Surrey teammates (Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)}

Shoaib Bashir is England's spinner of choice, while Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts both miss out on selection at Lord's for Anderson's last hurrah.

"I feel pretty happy with where things are now and pretty excited for the week as well," said Anderson on Monday. "I think having quite a few friends and family come down for the week is good. I've had a lot of people who've stopped me in the street or met out and about saying that they're coming to the game. I'm just excited for the week."

England XI: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, James Anderson

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