The England men’s cricket team has announced their squads for the coming white-ball series against the West Indies, set to start on May 29.
The series will contain of three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), with Harry Brook leading the team as the new skipper.
In an important development, Liam Livingstone has been absent from both the ODI and T20I squads.
Livingstone before paced in as captain for Jos Buttler during England’s ODI series against the West Indies last year, but has not made the cut for this series.
On the other hand, all-rounder Liam Dawson has been reminded to the England white-ball setup after almost a three-year absence. However, Dawson will only feature in the T20I matches during this series.
Phil Salt has been released from the ODI squad after struggling to translate his touchy 20-over batting style to the longer format.
However, England has chosen to order steadiness in the 50-over side rather than making a complete renovation.
Joe Root remains in the squad as the senior batter, while Adil Rashid recalls his position as England’s premier legspinner, despite being 37 years old.
Rehan Ahmed, his latent inheritor, has been included for the T20Is only.
The first of the three ODIs will be played on May 29, followed by games on June 1 and June 3.
This series marks England’s first white-ball assignment of the season, and it comes at a time when a potential battle of interest appears for Jos Buttler.
Buttler’s Gujarat Titans side are currently topping the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table and are favorites to progress to the knockout stages.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has expressed support for the IPL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), stating in a declaration: “We’re keen to support the IPL and the BCCI in getting the schedule up and successively, and to facilitate players’ return should they choose to go back.”
The ECB also added that No Objection Certificates (NOCs) had been settled based on the original IPL dates, but they would review any potential delays, especially if the IPL clashes with the white-ball squad.
The board will continue to cooperate with the BCCI and the IPL as the situation grows.
“No Objection Certificates have been granted based on the original IPL dates, so we’ll need to review any potential extensions, particularly in relative to any clash with the final white-ball squad,” the statement continued.
“We’ll continue to work closely with the BCCI and the IPL as the situation develops.”
England squad for West Indies ODIs: Harry Brook (Yorkshire) – Captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Potts (Durham), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire) and Jamie Smith (Surrey).
England squad for West Indies T20Is: Harry Brook (Yorkshire) – Captain, Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Matthew Potts (Durham), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Luke Wood (Lancashire)
