Stuart Broad and James Anderson have been named in the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has named a strong 13-member squad for the series.
Yorkshire’s batter Harry Brook and Durham’s seamer Matthew Potts have been named for the first time.
Anderson and Broad were dropped for the tour of the West Indies earlier this year following a 4-0 shellacking in the Ashes in Australia.
But the 39-year-old James Anderson and 35-year-old Stuart Broad will return for the three-test series against New Zealand next month.
Their inclusion was never in question as England’s new Test captain, Ben Stokes, and new Test coach Brendon McCullum will require their expertise to usher in a new era for England cricket.
Joe Root has been named in the squad as well after recently giving up the test captaincy following the series loss in the West Indies.
English cricket has endured a turbulent few months with Root, coach Chris Silverwood, the director of cricket, and, most recently, the CEO, all stepping down.
England sits at the bottom of the world test championship standings after losing its last four series and nine out of 14 tests in that run.
The first test for this new-look England comes against reigning test champions New Zealand, with the series-opener at Lord’s starting on June 2.
“This is the start of a new era for our test team under the stewardship of Ben (Stokes) and Brendon (McCullum),” said Rob Key, the new managing director for England men’s cricket. “With a blend of youth and experience, we have selected an exciting squad that can compete with New Zealand in next month’s test series.”
England Men’s Test squad:
Ben Stokes (Durham) captain
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Foakes (Surrey)
Jack Leach (Somerset)
Alex Lees (Durham)
Craig Overton (Somerset)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
