- Pair will return for series against India in February
- National selectors schedule rest periods for players
England will head to Sri Lanka in the new year without two of their most charismatic cricketers. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have both been rested for the two-Test tour. They are the first of the multi-format players to take a break and others will follow suit during the winter.
Stokes has recently lost his father, Ged, while Archer has inhabited just about every bubble that has been set up over the past eight months.
Related: England criticised for abandoning tour as India pink-ball Test confirmed
J Root (c), M Ali, J Anderson, J Bairstow, D Bess, S Broad, J Buttler, Z Crawley, S Curran, B Foakes, D Lawrence, J Leach, D Sibley, O Stone, C Woakes, M Wood.
Reserves: J Bracey, M Crane, S Mahmood, C Overton, M Parkinson, O Robinson, A Virdi.
