My England rejects XI – and the five who could earn Test recall this summer

The list of players who have been deemed surplus to requirements by England over the years is a very long one indeed. But what about those who have been cast off in recent times?

After Ollie Robinson told The i Paper he felt “disregarded” by England, how good an XI could we make out of those men whose time in Test cricket has been cut short by the swinging scythe of selection?

Some can count themselves unlucky to have been dropped, others can have absolutely no complaints.

Yet many of the below have a good chance of one day being recalled – by my reckoning at least five.

Here’s The i Paper’s rather gratuitously-titled Rejects XI, and every player’s chance of getting a second, or in some cases, third chance at Test cricket.

Haseeb Hameed

• Age: 29
• Last Test: vs Australia, Sydney, January 2022
• Average: 24.38
• First-class average (and hundreds): 38.60 (19)

England’s youngest debutant in Tests when, at 19, he played against India at Rajkot in 2016, scoring a half-century. But after 10 Tests across two goes in the team he was discarded after the 2021-22 Ashes. Has since rebuilt his career at Nottinghamshire, leading the county to the title last summer in a season when he scored 1,258 runs at 66.21. Recall chance this summer: 4/10.

Dom Sibley

• Age: 30
• Last Test: vs India, Lord’s, August 2021
• Average: 28.94
• First-class average (and hundreds): 41.21 (26)

Played 22 Tests before being dropped in 2021. Known for his slow play, he is nonetheless solid, reliable and was the leading runscorer in Division One of last year’s County Championship. Recall chance: 3/10.

James Vince

• Age: 35
• Last Test: vs New Zealand, Christchurch, April 2018
• Average: 24.90
• First-class average (and hundreds): 40.18 (30)

No chance of playing for England again given the fact he quit red-ball cricket last year. But stylistically one of the best batters to watch over the past decade. His career might have been so different had he not been run out on 83 – his highest Test score – in the opening match of the 2017-18 Ashes in Brisbane. Recall chance: 0/10.

Jonny Bairstow

• Age: 36
• Last Test: vs India, Dharamshala, March 2024
• Average: 36.39
• First-class average (and hundreds): 42.98 (31)

Another whose age counts against him but for one glorious summer in 2022, when he launched the Bazball era with four stunning centuries in as many matches, he was unplayable. His England career amounts to far more than that, but it still feels like one that’s not been fully fulfilled. Recall chance: 1/10.

Dan Lawrence

• Age: 28
• Last Test: vs Sri Lanka, The Oval, September 2024
• Average: 26.84
• First-class average (and hundreds): 38 (19)

Four half-centuries in 14 Tests, the middle-order batter can count himself unlucky not to have established himself. Stylish with a strong temperament. Set up to fail when asked to fill in as an opener for the 2024 home series against Sri Lanka. Recall chance: 3/10.

Ollie Pope

• Age: 28
• Last Test: vs Australia, Adelaide, December 2025
• Average: 34.55
• First-class average (and hundreds): 44.63 (24)

Possibly too soon to be classed as a reject but he’s not batting at No 3 anytime soon while Jacob Bethell is fit. Given more time – 64 Tests – than less aesthetically pleasing batters would have got until dropped during last winter’s Ashes. Exposed against the very best, averaging 22.25 in 26 matches against Australia and India. Recall chance: 7/10.

Ben Foakes

• Age: 33
• Last Test: vs India, Dharamshala, March 2024
• Average: 29.20
• First-class average (and hundreds): 38.08 (17)

Probably still the best wicketkeeper in the world and a vital member of the first Bazball team, with his prosaic batting a useful counterweight to the excesses of others. Ultimately, his face didn’t fit. Recall chance: 2/10.

Ollie Robinson

• Age: 32
• Last Test: vs India, Ranchi, February 2024
• Average: 22.92
• First-class average (and wickets): 21.59 (474)

Just look at his record, with 76 wickets in 20 Tests. Attitude and fitness counted against him but if he can prove his fitness and form this summer anything is possible. Highly-skilled bowler who at his best could lead the England attack. Recall chance: 8/10.

Jack Leach

• Age: 34
• Last Test: vs Pakistan, Rawalpindi, October 2024
• Average: 34.07
• First-class average (and wickets): 27.62 (547)

Still the best spinner in England. His record everywhere other than Australia speaks for itself. Still young enough to come back if England want a proven performer for next year’s home Ashes. Recall chance: 6/10.

Olly Stone

• Age: 32
• Last Test: vs Sri Lanka, The Oval, September 2024
• Average: 23.52
• First-class average (and wickets): 27.60 (175)

Another fast bowler plagued by injury. Stone, who’s played five Tests, has the ability to bowl in excess of 90 miles per hour, meaning he may come back into the reckoning with a decent season for Nottinghamshire. Recall chance: 8/10.

Sam Cook

• Age: 28
• Only Test: vs Zimbabwe, Trent Bridge, May 2025
• Average: 119
• First-class average (and wickets): 20.64 (328)

The best-performing seamer in the county game has played one Test but he’s been namechecked this week by Rob Key, England’s director of cricket, and looks primed for a second chance this summer. Recall chance: 9/10.