England duo Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell have been given an extended one-month spell of county cricket to prepare for this summer's Test series against the West Indies and South Africa.
Both men were disappointing during the winter tests in Asia against Pakistan and Sri Lanka with Strauss's captaincy being called into question for the first time.
The ECB have made the pair available for three LV County Championship fixtures ahead of the first test against the West Indies, which begins at Lord's on May 17.
Strauss and Bell will turn out for Middlesex and Warwickshire respectively next week while fellow batsmen Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook, who performed better in the winter, will be given time off.
