SOMERSET spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach have not been selected by England for the first Test against India next week.

Taunton-born Jos Buttler does make the 13-man squad, but Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid are preferred as spin bowling options.

And once again there is no place for batsman James Hildreth, who passed 16,000 First Class runs this week.

National selector Ed Smith said that a lack of game time prevented Bess and Leach from making the squad, but that they would be involved with the team throughout preparations for England’s 1,000th men’s Test match.

Smith commented: "Jack Leach has had an exceptional run of bad luck which now leaves him short of bowling at the start of the series against India.

"Having broken his thumb before the first Test against Pakistan, Jack then suffered concussion on his return to county cricket.

"As a result, Jack has bowled only 37 overs in county or Lions cricket since first being injured.

"The selection panel felt it was too early for Jack to play in a Test match.

"Though he is not included in the XIII, Jack will join the team throughout preparations for the Test.

“The same applies to Dom Bess.

"Dom made an outstanding all-round contribution in his debut series against Pakistan and impressed everyone with his character and competitiveness.

"For different reasons, unfortunately Dom has also found opportunities scarce in Championship cricket.

"Though not included in the XIII, he will also practice fully with the squad before the Test."

Rashid has not played red-ball cricket for Yorkshire this summer, raising concerns about the future of the County Championship.

Smith added: "Adil fully understands that if he wishes to be eligible for Test cricket in the 2019 season, he must have a county contract to play four-day cricket.

"Moving forward, England Test players must be committed to the County Championship."

The first Test takes place at Edgbaston on August 1-5, with the second of the five-match series held at Lord's on August 9-13.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.