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The four England Test newcomers hoping to banish memories of a disastrous Ashes

Alex Lees Matthew Fisher Durham Yorkshire

Alex Lees, Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Parkinson have been tasked with putting a smile back on the faces of England fans in the West Indies.

After Ashes misery comes change - it's something we've become accustomed to.
But this time the change is on a different scale.
A complete overhaul of the coaching staff has seen director of cricket Ashley Giles and head coach Chris Silverwood axed.
New recruits will follow but for now Sir Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood step into those roles for the forthcoming three-Test tour of the West Indies - the party plays its opening match on March 1 before the first Test begins on March 8.
Change is very much part of the playing squad too - eight Ashes tourists have been axed, including, most controversially, James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Of the 16 chosen for this tour of the Caribbean, four are uncapped at Test level.
Alex Lees and Matthew Fisher are in the squad for the first time and while Saqib Mahmood and Matthew Parkinson have been part of the set-up before, they are also yet to make their Test debut.
Here we take a look at the four newcomers…

Alex Lees

The Durham left-handed opener has been on England's radar from an early age.
He was Yorkshire's youngest player to make a double-century in the Championship when aged just 20 and was captain of their white-ball teams two years later.
He's a long-time England Lions tourist who, at the age of 28, now finally looks set to make his Test debut at senior level.
The worry is, however, that Lees is simply the umpteenth choice as an opener with many of those before him to have come out of Championship cricket having failed on the biggest stage.
His first-class average is hardly frightening at 34.86, although that was at least higher (39.06) in last season's Championship.

What they said:

"Alex Lees comes in as a mature cricketer who knows his game well and it's an opportunity for him to stake his claim." - Sir Andrew Strauss, interim managing director of England men's cricket, February 2022

Matt Fisher

Seamer Fisher is another player to have made history at a young age at Yorkshire.
At the age of just 15, he became the club's youngest post-war county player in 2013.
But in almost a decade since, his first-class experience remains extremely limited - 21 games and only 63 wickets taken at an average of 27.52.
As a comparison, James Anderson's Test average is 26.58. That may not be particularly fair to the 24-year-old but I'm afraid he's going to have to get used to his name being mentioned in the same sentence of Anderson and Stuart Broad's given the circumstances.
What is fair to point out is the problem Fisher has had with injuries - a stress fracture of the back and a dislocated shoulder among them.
He played only five Championship matches last season, taking 20 wickets, although his average of 19.65 did put him in the top 20 bowlers who had bowled at least 100 overs.
Many have touted the seamer's potential but what he really needs is a long spell of full fitness. He'll hope to start that in the Caribbean.

What they said:

"I definitely think that if Fish has a good, consistent couple of years that we will lose him (to England). He's that good that he will end up going up a level." - Rich Pyrah, Yorkshire bowling coach, January 2021

Saqib Mahmood

Lancashire paceman Mahmood opened the bowling with Fisher on the pre-Christmas Lions tour of Australia.
He's capable of cranking it up to 90mph so is seen as the man to provide that extra zip with Mark Wood the only other man in the Test squad capable of hitting that sort of figure.
The 24-year-old is another with limited first-class experience - just 25 matches at a very similar average to Fisher - but what he does have on his CV is previous international experience.
Mahmood has played 19 white-ball games in an England shirt and was player of the series in last summer's Covid-hit ODI campaign against Pakistan.
Others within the set-up have clearly liked what they've seen. That includes an ability to get some reverse swing out of the ball.

What they said:

"Mahmood looks like the type of bowler who could step into Broad's shoes. He offers accuracy, seam movement and a bit of skill with the old ball when it reverses." - Mike Atherton, former England captain, July 2021

Matthew Parkinson

Leg-spinners and the England team have always had something of an awkward relationship.
In a post-Ashes scenario, it remains to be seen whether the selectors are now ready to put their faith in Parkinson, a player they took on tours of New Zealand and South Africa in 2019/20 but never actually played him in a Test match.
Parkinson sprang to prominence with plenty of wickets in T20 cricket but his slow pace was seen by some as a weakness which would prevent him shining at the top table.
As Parkinson said last year: "If I do play Test cricket, I might have to go to the top end of the speed I can bowl to be successful, but I'd also like to be the only spinner that bowls at the pace I do who has done well - then I'd be breaking the mould."
The 25-year-old has worked with Australian leggy Stuart MacGill in the past and averages a decent 23.35 in first-class cricket.
In last season's County Championship, Parkinson took 36 wickets in 11 matches, which compares favourably with the other spinner on this West Indies tour, Jack Leach (38 in 13). However, it was also some way down on the top spinner in the competition - Essex's Simon Harmer took 53 wickets in his 14 games.

What they said:

"He is pretty exciting, isn't he? I love watching him. I've been watching him from afar and been very impressed so far. I really like the look of the way he bowls. He is a great addition to white-ball cricket, but also I see him playing a huge part in Test cricket." - Shane Warne, Australia's all-time leading wicket-taker in Tests, July 2021

West Indies v England - 2022 itinerary

First Test - March 8-12 (North Sound, Antigua)
Second Test - March 16-20 (Bridgetown, Barbados)
Third Test - March 24-28 (St George's, Grenada)

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