• Ed Smith says: ‘Bairstow at his best is an asset’ • Mark Wood and Jimmy Anderson also in 17-man squad

After England’s expedition to New Zealand proved to be a bit of a shambles – despite winning the first day of the series they lost the first Test and somehow ended up in the second with three unproven batsmen, a rookie wicketkeeper and no spinner in their XI – the touring party for South Africa has been bolstered by some familiar names.

Back come Jimmy Anderson, Mark Wood and Jonny Bairstow while Moeen Ali “remains unavailable for Test cricket”. There is clearly a determination not to be caught short this time, especially since this series, unlike the one in New Zealand, counts in the Test Championship.

Moeen Ali’s Test break to continue with absence from England squad for South Africa Read more

The party contains 17 players, which means that the solitary absentee from New Zealand is the Lancashire pace bowler Saqib Mahmood.

This is a large squad for a modern tour, which from Boxing Day onwards consists only of Test cricket. Ed Smith, the national selector, explained why. “It is not predicted that Mark [Wood] will be available for selection for the earliest matches. However, he will travel with the team and continue his rehab work with the medical staff on tour. There is no exact date given for his return.

“With that in mind, and given the extended period that James [Anderson] and Mark have had on the sidelines due to injury, it was sensible to have a 17-man squad.”

Wood last played Test cricket for England in St Lucia in February, while Anderson had just one grim match against Australia in August’s first Test at Birmingham. Both are in Cape Town as part of their rehabilitation.

The ECB notes that “Yorkshire batsman, Jonny Bairstow, returns to the squad.” Is this is a conscious reminder of his status? He is no longer referred to as England’s wicketkeeper/batsman. That role remains with Jos Buttler, who had an uncomfortable time in his solitary Test in New Zealand.

However, Bairstow will not need any reminding to pack his gloves. If Buttler is indisposed we can be sure that Bairstow rather than Ollie Pope will take over behind the stumps even though Smith emphasised: “That’s a matter for the captain and coach.”

More intriguing is whether Bairstow makes the side as a batsman. He is a very senior citizen to spend five weeks ferrying drinks. Where does the batting vacancy lie? Most probably at No 3, a position he has taken on with some reluctance in the past.

South Africa, if they have the chance to contemplate the details of the forthcoming series in the chaos that seems to exist in the running of their game, would probably rather bowl to Dom Sibley as opposed to Bairstow on Boxing Day.

There is clearly a case for opening with Joe Denly from the start with Bairstow at three. It may be the agonising about Bairstow will be another thorny issue that runs and runs – unless he starts there and scores runs and runs.

Smith, who travelled north with James Taylor for an in-depth conversation with Bairstow two days after his omission from the Test squad for New Zealand, chose his words carefully. “It was always a possibility that he would return to the Test team. Jonny Bairstow at his best is an asset and he could fill a number of roles.”

Smith pointed out that Bairstow averages 57 in first-class cricket since he was first picked for England in 2012, the implication being that he has the tools to play as a specialist batsman.

Quick guide England Test squad for South Africa tour Show Hide England's 17-man squad: Joe Root (Yorkshire, captain), Jimmy Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Notts), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Jack Leach (Somerset), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham, vice-captain), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).

The national selector also hinted at some frustration at Moeen’s absence: “In an ideal world we would like him to be available. He asked for a break and that’s happened but at this stage I don’t know when he might return. Our hope is that he does return to Test cricket. In our discussions he did say that he felt that there were more Test runs and wickets in him. We are going to keep in regular touch with him.”

However, Smith said that no timeframe had been established. As with Bairstow it might have been tricky to have someone of Moeen’s seniority ferrying drinks in South Africa.

Obviously they would like to have him in Sri Lanka at the end of March, where he would be certain to be in the team but there is a complication here since Moeen has just signed a lucrative deal to play in the Pakistan T20 League, which coincides with the Test series. Moeen’s unavailability for South Africa means that Matt Parkinson embarks upon another tour although the chances of him playing in the Tests are low.

So there remain a few imponderables within the England team, which sets off on Friday. However, their campaign seems strong and stable compared to that of their opponents, who are faced with the challenge of somehow isolating themselves from the chaos of the administration of South African cricket. The only thing both parties there seem to agree upon is that the tour must go ahead.