Strauss Dropped for Sri Lanka As England Select Uncapped Quartet

England have dropped Andrew Strauss and resisted calls to bring back Mark Ramprakash for their forthcoming Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Instead the selectors have chosen four uncapped players - Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Phil Mustard and Graeme Swann - all of whom thrived during the recent ODI series in Sri Lanka. Owais Shah also gets a chance to revive his start-stop-start Test career.

Strauss, who has averaged just 27 during the past year, has paid a predictable price for his recent scratchy form, despite still averaging 40.79 in Tests. But England's chairman of selectors David Graveney today insisted that Strauss, who captained the team in 2006, still had a future in the side.

"Andrew needs to recover his best form and he has not been included in the squad on this occasion," he said. "We fully anticipate that he will have a major role to play with England in the next 12 months and he will be considered for the tour of New Zealand in the New Year."

Steve Harmison, who has not played since a hernia operation in the summer, is included but must first prove his fitness in a in South African domestic cricket. "Stephen is scheduled to play two four day matches for Highveld Lions in mid November," explained Graveney, "and he will join the tour party in Sri Lanka subject to him proving he has regained form and fitness following his back injury in the summer."

Mustard and Swann have been called into the squad following excellent performances in the one-day series in Sri Lanka, but Graveney admitted they would likely be bit-part players on tour. "We have chosen Phil Mustard as our No2 wicketkeeper for the tour," he said. "Having recently toured Sri Lanka with the one-day squad, Phil is familiar with the conditions and will be ideally placed to deputize for Matt Prior should the situation arise.

"Graeme Swann made an excellent all-round contribution to the one-day squad's series win in Sri Lanka and he will come into consideration for a place in our starting line-up at those venues where we require two spinners."

Full squad: Michael Vaughan, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Matthew Hoggard, Philip Mustard, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann.