Mumbai: Durham opener Keaton Jennings and Hampshire’s Liam Dawson are set to join the English squad for the remaining two matches of the Test series against India. The duo will be replacing injured Haseeb Hameed and Zafar Ansari.
Jennings, who is currently with England Lions (A side), is coming in the side as a replacement to 19 year old Haseeb Hameed, who broke his little finger during the Third test at Mohali. Haseeb Hameed will be returning home to undergo surgery.
Dawson, the Hampshire all-rounder, who was also selected for the Lions programme this winter has been called up to replace Zafar Ansari, who is still struggling with the back injury he sustained in the second Test match in Visakhapatnam. Ansari is expected to stay with the squad and receive medical support in India before returning home on 8th December.
Jennings, 24, made his debut for county team Durham in 2012 and was the leading run scorer in the 2016 Specsavers County Championship season in which he knocked six centuries scoring 1,548 runs at an average of 64.
He has been with the Lions programme for the last month, earlier at the Performance Centre in Loughborough and past two weeks at the in Dubai, based at the ICC academy. He is due to join the English squad in Mumbai on 5th December when the visitors prepare for the fourth Test at Wankhede which will be played three days later.
Dawson, 26, made ODI and T20 debut for England last summer after his impressive performances during last winter’s Lion programme in the UAE. He is also expected to arrive in Mumbai early next week to join the squad.
England trails the five Test series 2-0 after three Tests and is in a lookout for a much needed win amongst all controversies. Last time India and England clashed at Wankhede in Test, England had won with Kevin Peterson scoring a match winning 186 in 2012.