England recall Dawid Malan and axe Dom Sibley as they try to cure batting crisis ahead of third Test against India
DAWID MALAN has been recalled and Dom Sibley dumped as England try to cure their batting crisis.
Yorkshire left-hander Malan, who last played Test cricket in 2018, will bat at No 3 in the Third Test against India at Headingley, with Haseeb Hameed moving up to open.
Sibley is dropped after averaging 19 in ten Tests this year.
Zak Crawley — axed for Hameed in the Second Test at Lord’s — is left out of the squad for next week’s match.
England head coach Chris Silverwood said: “Dawid Malan deserves his opportunity.
“He has a lot of experience across all formats and I’m confident he can do well on his home ground.
“Dom Sibley needs some time away to regain his confidence after a challenging period.
“He will return to Warwickshire to spend time in the middle without the scrutiny and find some rhythm and confidence.
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“Dom offers a lot of value to the Test environment and some time away should help him. He remains part of our plans.
“And Zak Crawley will return to Kent to galvanise the excellent work he did last week in the nets at Lord’s with assistant coach Graham Thorpe.
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“Zak is still a massive part of our plans moving forward but we feel he would benefit from time outside the pressure of international competition. He has a bright future.”
Lancashire fast bowler Saqib Mahmood, called in as cover at Lord’s for the injured Stuart Broad, makes the squad properly this time.
And he could play if Mark Wood does not recover from a shoulder injury.