KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Batsman Andrew Strauss was surprisingly axed from the 15-man England squad for the forthcoming test series in Sri Lanka.
The left-hander has been a fixture in the test side since making a century on his debut at Lord's in 2004 but has struggled with his form
over the last 18 months.
While there was no place for Strauss or fast bowler Steve Harmison, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) included four uncapped players for the three-test series starting on December 1.
Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Phil Mustard and Graeme Swann have all impressed in one-day cricket, including in England's first series victory in Sri Lanka earlier this month. Owais Shah, who has played just two tests, was also selected.
"Andrew Strauss needs to recover his best form and he has not been included in the squad on this occasion," chairman of selectors David Graveney said in a statement.
"We fully anticipate that he will have a major role to play with England in the next 12 months and he will be considered for the tour of New Zealand in the New Year."
Strauss, a key figure in England's Ashes triumph in 2005, captained England last year in the absences of Michael Vaughan and his deputy, all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.
He handed the captaincy back to Flintoff in the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia and suffered a slump in form as England were thrashed.
In the test series against West Indies this year he averaged just 24, although he fared a little better against India where he averaged 35.
Later at a news conference held at The Oval in London, Graveney added: "He has not performed to the level he can play at, he is extremely disappointed, but he is a fighter, and we believe he will be coming back very quickly.
Harmison's omission is less surprising because he has been struggling with injuries this year, although Graveney left the door open for the Durham paceman.
"He has been out of the game for a while and the selectors, over a period of time, have justifiably received criticism before for trying to speculate on people's fitness before a tour, which hasn't worked out in the end," Graveney told the news conference.
"Given that Steve missed the latter stages of last season and is doing his rehab work at Loughborough and Durham we need to see what form he is in," he explained to reporters.
Harmison is scheduled to play two four-day matches in South Africa next month for Highveld Lions.
England
Michael Vaughan (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Matthew Hoggard, Philip Mustard, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann.
- REUTERS
