Kent pair Joe Denly and Zak Crawley are expected to play for England in the opening Test match of the summer starting on Wednesday.

The England National Cricket Selectors have named a 13-strong squad for the first #raisethebat Test match against West Indies at Ageas Bowl starting on Wednesday 8 July 2020 with the Kent pair likely to bat at number three and four with Joe Root missing as his wife is due to give birth.

With Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley expected to open the batting for England, Denly may move down the order to number four to replace Root allowing Crawley to take on the coveted number three position.

Ben Stokes will captain the side and is expected to bat at five with Ollie Pope at six and Jos Buttler at seven.

It will then be a straight shoot out on the remaining four positions with an all seam attack of Stuart Broad, Jofra Archer, James Anderson and Mark Wood touted as being that four by many pundits.

Meanwhile, nine players will remain at the Ageas Bowl as Test reserves.

England Men’s Test Squad

Ben Stokes (Durham) Captain

James Anderson (Lancashire)

Jofra Archer (Sussex)

Dominic Bess (Somerset)

Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)

Rory Burns (Surrey)

Jos Buttler (Lancashire)

Zak Crawley (Kent)

Joe Denly (Kent)

Ollie Pope (Surrey)

Dom Sibley (Warwickshire)

Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

Mark Wood (Durham)

Test Reserves

James Bracey (Gloucestershire)

Sam Curran (Surrey)

Ben Foakes (Surrey)

Dan Lawrence (Essex)

Jack Leach (Somerset)

Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)

Craig Overton (Somerset)

Ollie Robinson (Sussex)

Olly Stone (Warwickshire)

Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes is set to become the 81^st England men’s Test captain on Wednesday after it was confirmed earlier in the week that he will replace Yorkshire’s Joe Root as captain.

Root, who has returned to Sheffield to be at the birth of his second child, left the secure bubble in Southampton earlier this week. He will self-isolate for seven days before joining up with the squad ahead of the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford starting on 16 July.

#raisethebat Three-match Test Series:

1^st Test: England v West Indies, July 8-12, Ageas Bowl, Southampton

2^nd Test: England v West Indies, July 16-20, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

3^rd Test: England v West Indies, July 24-28, Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester