England Cricket Team has announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20Is series against Sri Lanka, confirmed England and Wales Cricket Board on June 12 (June 12).
All-rounder Chris Woakes and left-arm pace bowler David Willey have made a return to the squad after a long gap. They will look to make an impression ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 scheduled to take place in India. Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, who hasn’t played a T20I since 2018, also returns to the squad.
England head coach Chris Silverwood stressed that the upcoming matches will be a preparation for the global T20 event. In the absence of several regular cricketers, Silverwood will have the opportunity to look at some experienced cricketers, who have not played for quite some time.
“With the T20 World Cup only a few months away, this summer is about perfecting our team and continue to progress on the field. We want to approach every series with an influx of players aiming to win every match and giving us the best preparation as we get closer to the tournament,” said Silverwood.
“With several high-profile players missing through injury, it allows me to look at some of our experienced players who have not featured at this level for some time. The likes of Chris Woakes and David Willey are very experienced cricketers, and to have them both in the mix is exciting and shows the depth of squad we have available. I want our team to play an attacking form of the game,” added Silverwood.
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, and Reece Topley weren’t considered for selection as they are recovering from the finger injury, elbow, and side strain injuries respectively.
The T20I series will commence on June 23 in Cardiff and will be followed by matches on June 24 and June 26.
England squad for T20I series against Sri Lanka:
Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
