England name 15-member squad for South Africa Tests; Patterson-White earns maiden call-up, Pope out

England have announced a 15-member squad for their three-match Test tour of South Africa, which will form part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle.

England have announced a 15-member squad for their three-match Test tour of South Africa, which will form part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle. Liam Patterson-White has earned his maiden Test call-up after an impressive 2026 County Championship season, in which he emerged as the competition's most successful spinner, according to the ICC website.

Jacob Bethell has returned to the Test setup after recovering from a knee injury, while spinner Shoaib Bashir has been left out of the squad. Ollie Pope, who was part of England's Test squad for the Pakistan series, has also missed out, while Dan Lawrence returns as an additional batting option who can contribute with the ball.

The pace attack will feature Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Ollie Robinson, Sam Cook and Sonny Baker, with Joe Root named captain of the 15-member squad. England Men’s National Selector Marcus North said the team had selected a balanced squad for the challenge of facing South Africa, the reigning ICC Test World Champions.

“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,” North said. “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. 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," he said.

England are currently sixth in the WTC 2025-27 standings with a points percentage of 38.64, while South Africa occupy second place with 71.43 per cent. The tour will follow the conclusion of England's limited-overs series in Australia.

The first Test will be played in Johannesburg from December 17 to 21, followed by the second Test in Centurion from December 26 to 30. The third and final Test is scheduled in Cape Town from January 3 to 7. England squad: 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, Josh Tongue. (ANI)