England announce Test squad for South Africa tour

England has named a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa, scheduled to begin on December 17 at The Wanderers in Johannesburg. Joe Root will captain the side, and the tour marks the first assignment for new head coach Stephen Fleming.

Notable changes to the squad include the omission of spinner Shoaib Bashir, who has been moved to the England Lions red-ball squad. He is replaced by uncapped left-arm finger spinner Liam Patterson-White, who earned his maiden call-up following a strong County Championship season.

Jacob Bethell returns to the Test squad after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the ODI series against India. Conversely, Ollie Pope has been left out of the Test squad and will join the England Lions.

The team will arrive in stages, with some players attending a training camp in Pietermaritzburg on November 25, while others will join following the white-ball series against Australia.