England have recalled Lancashire opener Keaton Jennings and Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Foakes for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka next month.

The pair were both discarded after the West Indies tour 12 months ago but both of Jennings' Test hundreds have come on the subcontinent and Foakes was player of the series in England's 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in November 2018.

Foakes' inclusion means there is no room for Jonny Bairstow in a 16-man touring party while England's record wicket-taker James Anderson is another high-profile absentee, with Moeen Ali remaining unavailable for selection.

Moeen was England's joint-leading wicket-taker on their last visit to Sri Lanka but his decision to continue his indefinite break from Test cricket means Jack Leach, Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson will be the frontline spinners.

Leach, who matched Moeen's 18 wickets in Sri Lanka 16 months ago, has recovered from an illness that meant he played no part in England's recent 3-1 series victory over South Africa.

Jennings made the last of his 17 Test appearances in the Caribbean after his average dipped to 25.19 but that rises sharply to 44.44 in Asia, with one of his two international hundreds coming in Sri Lanka.

His return puts pressure on the top three of Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Joe Denly, who has been retained despite a modest series in South Africa, where his 210 runs at an average of 30 matches his career average after 14 Tests.

Jos Buttler has also struggled this winter and while England have shown faith in the wicketkeeper, they have handed a recall to Foakes, who marked his Test debut at Galle in November 2018 with a superb century while he was the leading run-scorer in the three-match series.

His axing after a couple of underwhelming performances against the Windies was deemed harsh in some quarters but he now has an opportunity to get back into the side ahead of a Test series which starts at Galle on March 19.