Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes are the notable omissions from England's Test tour to Sri Lanka next month, with both men being rested from the 23-man touring party, ahead of the multi-format tour of India which gets underway in February.

Rory Burns also misses the trip, as his wife Victoria is expecting their first child in the second week of January, while Burns' Surrey team-mate Ollie Pope will join the squad as a non-playing member, with a view to being fit in time for the four Tests in India as he continues his rehab from the shoulder injury that he sustained against Pakistan in August.

In Pope's absence, Jonny Bairstow is recalled to the Test set-up for the first time since featuring in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion 12 months ago, while Ben Foakes, who scored a century on debut and was named Player of the Series on England's completed tour of Sri Lanka in 2018-19, provides a third wicketkeeping option, alongside the current incumbent, Jos Buttler.

With spin playing a central role in England's 3-0 series win in 2018-19, Moeen Ali is back in the squad after opting out of last winter's tours of New Zealand and South Africa, and is in line to play his first Test since the opening match of the 2019 Ashes.

Jack Leach, who along with Moeen was England's leading wicket-taker on that last Sri Lanka trip with 18 scalps, is also recalled, and is set to link up once again with his former Somerset team-mate and current first-choice England spinner, Dom Bess.

However, there is no return for the third spinner of the 2018-19 triumvirate, legspinner Adil Rashid, who had been an outside bet for a recall given his importance to England's white-ball plans ahead of next year's T20 World Cup.

England have, however, named three spinners among their seven-man list of reserves - legspinners Matt Parkinson and Mason Crane, whose one-off Test came at Sydney in the 2017-18 Ashes, and the Surrey offspinner, Amar Virdi.

All the reserves will travel and train with the main squad, with the series once again being placed behind closed doors and in bio-secure environments, initially at Hambantota and then in Galle for the two Test matches, commencing January 14 and 22 respectively.

Despite playing limited roles on the 2018-19 tour, England have named both of their veteran fast bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad in their main touring party, alongside Chris Woakes and two 90mph options in Mark Wood and Olly Stone, who made his England debut in the ODI leg of England's last tour of Sri Lanka two years ago.

With England facing a busy schedule on all fronts in the coming 12 months, with the Ashes in Australia following hot on the heels of away and home series against India and the T20 World Cup, the absences of Archer and Stokes come as part of commitment from England's selectors to provide blocks of rest for all their multi-format players at various points this winter.

Archer's absence had been telegraphed in South Africa last week, after he had spent most of the preceding five months in bio-secure environments, while Stokes' absence comes in the wake of the death of his father Ged from brain cancer. He also missed the final two Tests of last summer's Pakistan series, as well as the subsequent one-day series, to travel to New Zealand to spend time with his family.

England Men's Test Squad: Joe Root (Yorkshire) (captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Dom Bess (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

Reserves: James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Amar Virdi (Surrey).