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Joe Root will captain England in the three-match Test series against South Africa, which is scheduled to begin on December 17 at The Wanderers in Johannesburg.
England drop Shoaib Bashir for Test series in South Africa. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Star spinner Shoaib Bashir, who made his Test debut against India in Visakhapatnam in February 2024, has been dropped from England’s squad for the three-match Test series against South Africa, which is scheduled to begin on December 17 at The Wanderers in Johannesburg.
The 23-year-old has taken 71 wickets in 21 Tests so far since his debut but did not get a chance to feature in the playing XI in any of the three Tests against Pakistan in August-September 2026.
While Bashir has been dropped for England’s Test tour of South Africa, left-handed batter Jacob Bethell has returned to the side after missing the Pakistan series due to injury.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced England’s 15-member squad for the upcoming series on Monday and stated that it will be Stephen Fleming’s first assignment as the new head coach of England’s Test side.
Uncapped left-arm finger spinner Liam Patterson-White has earned his maiden call-up to the England men’s Test squad.
We have announced our Test squad to face South Africa 📋Full squad 👉 https://t.co/mbGCNSYNf4 https://t.co/Pp90JXWX1v
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 9, 2026
Sam Cook, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Liam Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson and Jamie Smith are not part of England’s white-ball squads for this month’s ODI and T20I series in Australia. They will fly out to South Africa early with the England Lions squad for a preparation camp in Pietermaritzburg on November 25.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Ben Duckett and Joe Root will return to the United Kingdom after the conclusion of the ODI series against England and Australia before flying to South Africa on December 2.
On the other hand, white-ball captain Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Jordan Cox will leave the tour of Australia after the fourth T20I in Sydney on November 29 and fly directly to South Africa.
“We have selected a strong and balanced squad that is ready for the challenge of facing a South African team that are ICC Test world champions and who returned to the top of the ICC Test rankings following their recent 2-1 series win over Australia,” England men’s national selector Marcus North said in a statement.
“There are two changes to the squad that defeated Pakistan 3-0 at the end of the home summer, with Liam Patterson-White earning his debut call-up while Jacob Bethell returns from a knee injury. Liam Patterson-White’s selection comes on the back of a strong summer in the Rothesay County Championship, when he took the most wickets of any spinner in Division One, with 42 at an average of 25.11, and earned his first ECB Development Contract,” North said.
“We have also selected a strong England Lions squad, who will fly out to South Africa on November 25 for a preparation camp before three 50-over matches and two first-class games. Those players will benefit from experiencing South African conditions and ensure we have players who are fit and ready should they be required for the Test series,” he added.
England’s squad for Test series against South Africa: Joe Root (C), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Liam Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith (WK), Josh Tongue
Quick Answers
Ask News18Stephen Fleming is the new head coach of England’s Test side, with his first assignment being the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa.
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Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More
London, United Kingdom (UK)
November 10, 2026, 06:18 IST
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