Root to lead England in South Africa Tests as Patterson-White earns maiden call-up

London, 9 November 2026:

England have named a 15-player squad for their upcoming three-Test series against South Africa, with Joe Root continuing as captain and uncapped Nottinghamshire spinner Liam Patterson-White earning his maiden Test call-up.

The series, beginning on December 17 in Johannesburg, will mark Stephen Fleming’s first assignment as England Men’s Test head coach, with the former New Zealand captain taking charge against the reigning ICC World Test Championship winners.

Patterson-White’s inclusion is among the key selection decisions following an impressive County Championship campaign in which the left-arm spinner claimed 42 wickets at an average of 25.11, finishing as the leading spinner in Division One.

Jacob Bethell also returns to the Test squad after recovering from a knee injury sustained during the English summer, providing another option in England’s batting and spin-bowling departments.

The squad announcement comes as England prepare for their limited-overs series against Australia, which begins with the opening ODI in Perth on November 13.

Fleming travelled to Perth last week to finalise selection and tour preparations alongside Managing Director of England Men’s Cricket Rob Key, National Selector Marcus North and Men’s Performance Director Ed Barney.

England’s management faces a challenging transition between formats, with several Test players involved in the Australian white-ball series before travelling to South Africa.

Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Ben Duckett and Root will return to the United Kingdom following the ODI series before departing for South Africa on December 2.

Harry Brook, Bethell and Jordan Cox are scheduled to leave Australia after the fourth T20 international in Sydney on November 29 and travel directly to South Africa.

Meanwhile, Sam Cook, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson and Jamie Smith will join the England Lions preparation camp in Pietermaritzburg on November 25.

The staggered departures underline England’s efforts to manage player workloads while maintaining preparation time ahead of a demanding Test series.

North said England had assembled a balanced squad capable of challenging South Africa in their home conditions.

“We have selected a strong and balanced squad that is ready for the challenge,” North said.

The national selector highlighted Patterson-White’s domestic performances and Bethell’s return as the two changes from the squad that completed a 3-0 Test series win over Pakistan during the English summer.

Patterson-White's selection provides England with a specialist left-arm spin option, while the pace attack features Archer, Atkinson, Robinson, Tongue, Cook and Baker.

The decision to include Patterson-White also places greater emphasis on county performances as England look to develop their bowling resources for overseas conditions.

England have also announced separate red-ball and 50-over Lions squads for their tour of South Africa from November 26 to December 21.

The Lions will play three 50-over matches and two four-day fixtures against South Africa A, offering emerging players an opportunity to gain experience in local conditions.

Ollie Pope, Shoaib Bashir, Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts feature among the red-ball selections, while Rehan Ahmed has been included in the 50-over squad.

The tour will provide additional squad depth and potential replacements should England require reinforcements during the Test series.

England Men’s Test squad

Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Dan Lawrence, Liam Patterson-White, Ollie Robinson, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue.

England Lions red-ball squad

Shoaib Bashir, Brydon Carse, James Coles, Mason Crane, Henry Crocombe, Matthew Fisher, Jack Haynes, George Hill, Eddie Jack, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, James Rew, Thomas Rew, Mitch Stanley, Olly Stone, Asa Tribe.

England Lions 50-over squad

Rehan Ahmed, Brydon Carse, Mason Crane, Adam Finch, Matthew Fisher, Calvin Harrison, Jack Haynes, George Hill, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Ollie Pope, James Rew, Naavya Sharma, Ekansh Singh, Asa Tribe.

England vs South Africa Test series schedule

December 9–11: Warm-up match against CSA XI — Kingsmead, Durban December 17–21: First Test — Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg December 26–30: Second Test — Centurion Park, Centurion (date subject to confirmation) January 3–7: Third Test — Newlands, Cape Town