Chris Woakes to make comeback in England Lions matches against India

Chris Woakes will test his fitness for next month's five-Test series against India when he returns to action for England Lions' two-match series against the tourists later this month, while Ben Stokes may yet join him for at least one of those matches at Canterbury and Northampton, depending on how he pulls up in his own return to competition in this week's Test against Zimbabwe.

There will not, however, be an immediate return to red-ball action for Jofra Archer, who had been earmarked to play in the second of those two fixtures, beginning at Wantage Road on June 6, but now looks set to be ruled out due to a right-thumb injury sustained at the IPL earlier this month.

England's selectors have named an initial 15-man squad for the two four-day matches, beginning on May 30, with Somerset's James Rew - the spare batter in the current Zimbabwe Test squad - announced as captain.

In a departure from England's recent approach to tour matches, the squad is notably strong, featuring several strong contenders for Test selection. These include Essex's Jordan Cox, who had initially been selected ahead of Rew for this week's Test squad, only to suffer an abdominal strain while making a century against Somerset at Taunton earlier this month.

Rehan Ahmed, England's legspinner, will be joined in the national set-up for the first time by his younger brother, Farhan, whose offspin has impressed for Nottinghamshire in recent months. Other notable inclusions are Durham's opener Ben McKinney, another former Under-19 graduate who could challenge the out-of-form Zak Crawley for a Test opening berth, and the left-arm seamer Josh Hull, who made a one-off Test debut against Sri Lanka last summer.

Woakes is the most experienced name in the initial squad, however, and the two matches offer him a chance to reclaim his Test place after his start to the season was delayed by an ankle injury.

Despite being 36, Woakes' value in English conditions cannot be over-stated: he won the Compton-Miller medal in the 2023 Ashes after claiming 19 wickets at 18.15, then added a further 24 at 20.25 last summer, after taking over from James Anderson as England's attack leader.

His place in the pecking order is currently occupied by Essex's Sam Cook, who has been earmarked for his Test debut against Zimbabwe this week.

Stokes' involvement in the Lions series will be determined by his performance at Trent Bridge over the coming days. The Zimbabwe Test is his first competitive match since he tore his hamstring on the tour of New Zealand in December, and though he anticipates playing a full role with bat and ball, he is taking a cautious approach to his comeback, with ten Tests to come against India and Australia in the next six months.

"It was a discussion we had, and it will just be how I feel at the end of this," Stokes said, "if I feel like I need any more game-time before we head into India. I can't really say how that's going to go at the moment because I've not played yet, but I'll see how I get through.

"Bowling in a game is completely different to bowling and training, but that'll probably be a late decision depending on how I feel I get through this Test match."

ECB Performance Director for Men's Cricket, Ed Barney, said: "This series against a strong India A side is a huge opportunity for an exciting and highly talented group of players. It will provide an opportunity both individually and collectively to excel on the international stage as we continue to succession plan for England's future needs."