- Silverwood says player needs to ‘regain his confidence’
- Malan returns to Test squad for first time in three years
Dom Sibley has been dropped from the England squad for the third Test against India at Headingley next week, with the team’s head coach, Chris Silverwood, admitting the batsman “needs some time away to regain his confidence”.
Sibley has finally paid the price for a prolonged spell of poor form with the bat – since he scored 120 against West Indies at Old Trafford last summer his average, which in eight matches up to that point had stood at 44.33, has fallen to 28.94. International opponents have repeatedly exploited technical failings – his past 15 Test innings include three ducks, five single-figure scores and a single half-century – while the pace at which he scores his runs has also been criticised.