Batter Ollie Pope and uncapped seamers John Turner and Josh Tongue have been picked in a new-look England squad for their white-ball tour of West Indies.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!December’s tour will be England’s first action following their World Cup exit.
Only six players in the World Cup squad have been selected for the three one-day internationals in the Caribbean.
Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Chris Woakes have been dropped for the ODIs but are included for the T20 leg, while Dawid Malan has been left out entirely.
The 36-year-old opener was England’s leading run-scorer during the World Cup campaign, which ended on Saturday with a consolation victory over Pakistan.
“We believe [Malan] has not had the best form in T20 cricket so we’re pretty honest with him,” said England’s managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key.
“I said you’ve got to get back to what made you ranked number one in the world, two or three years ago.”
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ODI squad: Jos Buttler (captain – Lancashire), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), John Turner (Hampshire)
T20 squad: Jos Buttler (captain – Lancashire), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Tymal Mills (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), John Turner (Hampshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Speaking on Sunday, Key stopped short of ending any player’s white-ball career despite calls for England’s ageing 50-over side to be rebuilt.
“I don’t think I’m ever really getting to the point where you’re just going to say that people are done completely,” he said.
“At the moment, other people are getting an opportunity, like they did a few years ago [after an early exit in the 2015 World Cup], and we have got such exciting talent to go out there and become the next great England team.”
Jos Buttler remains as captain for both squads in the Caribbean with Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Brydon Carse the other players to keep their places from the World Cup.
Reece Topley returns for the five-match T20 series after a finger injury ended his tournament early.
Ben Stokes is out because he will have knee surgery next week, while David Willey has retired from international duty now England’s World Cup campaign is over.
England return to India for a Test series in January, and Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Mark Wood have all been rested with that series in mind, rather than being dropped.
Pope, who has not played since injuring his shoulder in the second Ashes Test in June, is in line for his first white-ball cap and is joined in the ODI squad by Test team-mates Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, along with 19-year-old Rehan Ahmed and fellow spinner Tom Hartley.
Surrey opener Will Jacks and Lancashire’s Phil Salt add further freshness, despite playing regularly for England in white-ball cricket in recent years.
The T20s will act as preparation for England’s defence of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States in June next year.
Archer misses out again
There is no place in either squad for Jofra Archer, whose career has been hampered by back and elbow injuries.
It had been hoped he would be able to follow England as a travelling reserve in India, and potentially be fit to play in the latter stages if required, but he returned home from Mumbai in October.
Key revealed it came after the 28-year-old, who last played for Mumbai in the Indian Premier League in May, felt more discomfort in his elbow.
He could join up with England in the Caribbean but is unlikely to be part of a playing squad.
“Until he’s ready and fit he won’t be in the squad – and even then he’ll need a period of building up,” Key said.
“Elbows, from what everyone says, are a tricky part of the body that you don’t want to get wrong. We take a bet with Jofra, because of the upside.”
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