England will go into the limited-overs series against Australia without their batting talisman Joe Root after deciding the 24-year-old is in need of a rest before their winter tours to the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
Root, who is managing a back complaint, has played 101 of England’s 121 games across all formats since his Test debut against India in November 2012 and has sat out only one international – the early-summer ODI in Ireland – since May last year.
It means England will look to topple the world champions, under the captaincy of Steve Smith following Michael Clarke’s post-World Cup retirement, without the batsman who was named their man of the series in their 3-2 Ashes win and has starred in all three formats this summer.
While Root’s omission by the management is understandable the decision to leave out Jonny Bairstow remains more curious given his match-winning performance in the 50-over series decider against New Zealand in June.
Bairstow struck 83 from 60 balls at Chester-le-Street to seal a 3-2 win for Eoin Morgan’s side having been a late replacement for the injured Jos Buttler, but is still regarded as second-choice one-day wicketkeeper and behind Sam Billings and James Taylor in the pecking order for batsmen.
The selectors have continued with the bulk of the squad that lit up the early part of the season in white-ball cricket with Moeen Ali, who missed out against New Zealand to prepare for the Tests, and the fit-again seamer Chris Woakes recalled.
There are places for the uncapped Essex left-armer Reece Topley and Hampshire’s batsman James Vince in the Twenty20 squad for the one-off international in Cardiff on 31 August which precedes the five ODIs that begin in Southampton three days later. – The Guardian
England T20 Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey, Chris Woakes.
England ODI Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
