England Announce 15-man Squad For T20 World Cup 2022: The England selectors have decided to drop the out-of-form opener Jason Roy for the upcoming Pakistan T20I tour and the following T20 World Cup in Australia in October.
Roy was one of their premier players part of the white-ball resurrection under Eoin Morgan, playing a crucial role in England’s run to the 2016 T20 World Cup final and the 2019 World Cup triumph. However, since last year, he has been woefully out of form and out of big scores – barring a century against a depleted Netherlands side – at the international level and in the Hundred 2022.
Another major absentee from the T20 World Cup squad is star pacer Jofra Archer, who bowled the Super Over in the 2019 WC final vs New Zealand and was England’s best bowler in the competition.
Jofra Archer will miss second consecutive T20 World Cup due to injury
Archer has since last year been out of action because of an elbow injury which has needed two operations. He missed the T20 World Cup last year, and the following away Ashes and the IPL 2022. And now will also miss this year’s event in Australia.
Jos Buttler, who was appointed the captain after Eoin Morgan retired earlier this summer, will lead England in the tournament in Australia, the first match of which is against Afghanistan in Perth on October 22.
Test captain and key all-rounder, Ben Stokes, returns to the T20 side, so do pacers Mark Wood and Chris Woakes. The trio hasn’t played a single T20I this year due to injuries and rest. But the selectors are banking on their experience to deliver the goods at the T20 World Cup in Australia.
England have named three travelling reserves, among them is Tymal Mills, who featured in last year’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.
In absence of Jason Roy, either Phil Salt or Jonny Bairstow will open with Jos Buttler; Dawid Malan, who has long been the number 3 in the England T20I eleven, could also be bumped up as an opener, the position where he’s had immense success in the Hundred this year. Inexperienced Harry Brook is also included in the squad as a batting option.
Sam Curran, who missed last year’s T20 World Cup due to injury, will have the support of other pacers in Topley, Willey and Chris Jordan along with Wood and Woakes. Adil Rashid will lead the spin attack with Moeen Ali and Livingstone to also offer the spin option. England haven’t included another spinner keeping in mind the conditions in Australia.
England T20 World Cup squad:
Jos Buttler (C), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Travelling Reserves Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tymal Mills
