England wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow dropped from Test squad for two-match series against New Zealand

London: England have omitted Jonny Bairstow from their Test squad for the tour of New Zealand, with paceman James Anderson unavailable for the two-match series due to a calf injury. Warwickshire opener Dominic Sibley is rewarded for his prolific summer with a place on the plane alongside Kent batsman Zak Crawley and Lancashire pair Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson. [caption id=“attachment_6511421” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of England wicket-keeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow. Reuters[/caption] Batsman Jason Roy, who starred in England’s World Cup triumph, is another name missing from the 15-strong Test squad after a difficult Ashes series. Surrey batsman Ollie Pope, who played two Tests against India in 2018, is back in the squad while Jos Buttler will be the wicketkeeper in New Zealand due to Bairstow’s absence. Bairstow scored just 214 runs in the five Ashes Tests during the English summer at an average of 23.77. Anderson, England’s top Test wicket-taker, has been out of action since the first Test against Australia. The first Test, at Mount Maunganui, starts on 21 November. The series is not included in the new Test Championship. World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan will captain the Twenty20 team, with the five-match series starting on 1 November. Somerset’s Tom Banton and Mahmood have earned their first England call-ups after impressive white-ball summers, along with Worcestershire seamer Pat Brown and Lancashire spinner Matthew Parkinson. Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes. Twenty20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince.