Joe Root presents Yorkshire team-mate Matthew Fisher with his England Test cap in Barbados
(Picture: Getty Images)England were forced into a late change to their XI for the Second Test against West Indies in Barbados, with Matthew Fisher coming into the side for his debut.
Yorkshire seamer Fisher was a late replacement for Craig Overton, who England said “felt unwell overnight”.
Fisher, 24, joins debutant Saqib Mahmood, 25, in the attack. The pair have played just 46 first-class matches, sharing 155 wickets.
Both men had to wait to get the ball in their hand, however, as Joe Root won the toss and opted to bat first. West Indies named an unchanged side, meaning spinner Veerasammy Permaul was retained.
Root presented Yorkshire team-mate Fisher with his cap, while Mahmood received his from Ben Stokes. Stokes was England captain in last summer’s ODI series against Pakistan, in which Mahmood starred as the leader of a second-string attack.
Mahmood’s ability to reverse-swing the ball means Fisher will share the new ball with Chris Woakes.
The last time England fielded two debutants in their attack was 2014, when Chris Jordan and Moeen Ali played against Sri Lanka. The last time there were two seam-bowling debutants was 2009: Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan.
Mark Wood was ruled out with an elbow injury sustained in the drawn First Test, while Ollie Robinson was not risked due to a back spasm he suffered in the warm-up match on this tour.
Two debutants shone a further spotlight on Robinson’s increasingly erratic fitness record, and the decision to leave James Anderson and Stuart Broad at home.
