England's Bairstow to keep wicket in the fifth Test

Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket for England in the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Thursday.

Published : Sep 06, 2018 18:36 IST

England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow will be back behind the stumps for the final Test.

Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket for England in the fifth and final Test against India at The Oval, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Thursday.

Bairstow broke a finger keeping during India's 203-run win in the third Test at Trent Bridge, with England limited-overs gloveman Jos Buttler taking over behind the stumps in Nottingham.

Buttler was England's keeper again, with Bairstow deployed as a specialist batsman, in a series-clinching 60-run win in the fourth Test at Southampton.

However, England, 3-1 up in this five-match campaign, has returned the gloves to Bairstow for the Oval Test, which starts on Friday.

As happened in the second innings at Southampton, all-rounder Moeen Ali is due to bat at number three, with England captain Joe Root continuing in his favoured position of number four.

But England have retained the same 11 players for what will be national record run-scorer Alastair Cook's final Test before the 33-year-old former captain retires from international cricket.

The team

Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Moeen Ali, Joe Root (capt), Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson