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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matthew Cooper

Four England prospects who could make their Test debuts against the West Indies

England have rung the changes for their upcoming three-Test series against the West Indies, with eight members of their Ashes squad getting axed.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad, England's two leading wicket-takers of all time, have both been dropped.

Openers Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed have also been axed, along with Jos Buttler, Sam Billings and Dom Bess.

In their place, England have called up five new players, with wicketkeeper Ben Foakes returning to the fold alongside four youngsters who are uncapped in Test cricket.

With that in mind, Mirror Sport has taken a look at the four prospects who are in line to make their Test debuts in the Caribbean.

Alex Lees

Alex Lees is set to open the batting with Zak Crawley against the West Indies (Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Having captained the England Lions in Australia this winter, Lees has now earned his first call-up to the senior team and he will open the innings alongside Zak Crawley.

Lees had been touted for a call-up by the likes of Ian Botham and Nasser Hussain, having impressed at Durham after joining permanently from Yorkshire in 2019.

Over the last three seasons, Lees has averaged 37.45, 48.25 and 39.06 in first-class cricket and interim managing director Sir Andrew Strauss has backed him to succeed.

"Alex Lees comes in as a mature cricketer who knows his game well and it's an opportunity for him to stake his claim at the top of the order," Strauss said.

Saqib Mahmood

Saqib Mahmood is yet to make his Test debut, but he was part of the England squad for the recent series against India (Getty Images)

Having been a regular in England's white-ball setup for the past few years, Mahmood's ability to bowl with genuine pace and find both swing and reverse swing could make him a potent threat in Test cricket as well.

With Jofra Archer and Olly Stone still out injured, Mahmood can offer the same kind of pace threat as Mark Wood and ensure that he is not overworked.

Mahmood is overdue a Test debut and he will be desperate to impress in the Caribbean.

Matt Fisher

Yorkshire seamer Matt Fisher has received his first call-up to the England senior team (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Having picked up 20 wickets at an average of 19.65 in last year's County Championship, Fisher featured for the England Lions this winter and has now been called up to the senior team.

A tall seamer who hits the pitch hard, Fisher made his debut for Yorkshire at the age of 15 and his style of bowling should be well-suited to the pitches in the West Indies.

A series of injuries had stalled his development, but Fisher appears to have put those struggles behind him and he now looks set to make his international debut.

Matt Parkinson

Leg-spinner Matt Parkinson has replaced Dom Bess in the squad (Action Images via Reuters)

Boasting an impressive first-class record of 102 wickets at an average of just 23.35, Parkinson is coming off an excellent County Championship campaign which saw him pick up 36 wickets at 20.55.

The leg-spinner has replaced Bess in the England squad and will be vying with Jack Leach for a chance to make his Test debut.

Shane Warne is a big admirer of the 25-year-old, describing him as "pretty exciting" and rubbishing suggestions he needs to bowl quicker in order to be a success in international cricket.

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