England have announced their squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Australia which is set to start from September. Notably, the English side is scheduled to host Australia for a three-match T20I series and a five-match ODI series. England have selected five uncapped players for the all-important series with surprising omission of Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali.
England announce squads for white-ball series against Australia
In a move that suggests a focus on the future, Jacob Bethell (20) and Dan Mousley (23), both Warwickshire batting all-rounders, have received their first international call-ups for the three-match T20 series. Essex batter Jordan Cox, Hampshire seamer John Turner, and Leicestershire left-arm bowler Josh Hull have also been included in the 15-member squad. Hull, Bethell, and Turner will also participate in the subsequent five one-day internationals.
Marcus Trescothick will serve as the interim coach for the series against Australia. His appointment follows the departure of Matthew Mott, who left the role in July. Mott's departure came a month after England's unsuccessful defense of their T20 World Cup title in the semi-finals against India. This followed England's disappointing performance in the 50-over World Cup the previous year.
Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali out of England's white-ball squads
The most notable omissions from the England squad are Bairstow and Moeen, both members of England's World Cup-winning teams. At 34 and 37 respectively, they may have played their final matches for England. Wicketkeeper-batter Bairstow was offered a two-year contract by England in October 2023 but was also dropped from the Test side earlier this year. All-rounder Moeen retired from Test cricket for the second time after last summer's Ashes series. Bairstow has represented England in 287 matches across all formats, while Moeen, with 298 caps, served as Jos Buttler's vice-captain in the past three World Cups. Moeen also won the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, a tournament Bairstow missed due to a serious leg injury.
Bowler Chris Jordan, another member of England's T20 World Cup squad, has been completely excluded from the current squad. Additionally, batter Joe Root, who has not played a T20 international since 2019, has been rested from the ODI squad. Mark Wood and Ben Stokes are currently sidelined due to injuries.
Jos Buttler returns to lead England after a spell of injury
Jos Buttler will return as captain after missing The Hundred due to a calf injury. Saqib Mahmood, a pace bowler, has been selected for the T20 squad. He has not played for England since sustaining a second stress fracture in his back last year. Brydon Carse, a Durham quick, has also been included in both squads. His ban for betting offenses is set to end on August 28th. Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, and Jamie Smith will only participate in the ODI matches, as the first T20 against Australia is scheduled for September 11th, a day after the conclusion of the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Smith, who played two ODIs for a second-string England team against Ireland last year, is expected to play a more significant role following his impressive start in Test cricket. All-rounder Liam Livingstone has been included only in the T20 squad despite being a regular in the 50-over side in recent years.
Mousley, primarily known as a powerful middle-order batter, impressed with his off-spin bowling in The Hundred. He conceded just three runs and took three wickets when defending 10 runs from the final 10 balls for Birmingham Phoenix against Trent Rockets.
Barbados-born left-hander Bethell, who also played for Birmingham Phoenix, was part of the England squad that reached the Under-19 World Cup final in 2022. Cox was selected in England's squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka last week but did not play. He subsequently hit a 92-ball hundred in the County Championship while playing for Essex.
England T20I Squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jordan Cox (Essex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), John Turner (Hampshire
England ODI Squad:
Jos Buttler (Lancashire) - Captain, Jofra Archer (Sussex), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Matthew Potts (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Reece Topley (Surrey), John Turner (Hampshire)
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