England men's national selector Luke Wright confirms 15 players picked for New Zealand ODI series will form World Cup squad in India; Jofra Archer and Harry Brook not selected but expected to be named among three travelling reserves; uncapped Surrey pacer Gus Atkinson included in squad
Wednesday 16 August 2023 18:02, UK
Ben Stokes has been named in England's ODI squad for the upcoming four-match series against New Zealand, with men's national selector Luke Wright confirming the same 15 players picked will go to the World Cup in India.
That means there is no place for fast bowler Jofra Archer, so instrumental in England's 50-over World Cup win four years ago, as he continues his recovery from an elbow injury that has kept him out this summer.
"There has got to be a duty of care with Jof," Wright said. "We know how desperate we all are to have him, but we've also got to get it right with him - we see him as a huge asset for the future.
"So as much as there is a temptation to rush him back and get him in for the start of this World Cup, unfortunately we're going to just run out of time."
Promising pace bowler Gus Atkinson looks set to go to the World Cup in Archer's place, rewarded with a debut call-up after bursting onto the scene this summer. The 25-year-old has taken 20 wickets in five County Championship games at an average of 20.20 for Surrey and, perhaps more pertinently, is the second-leading wicket-taker in The Hundred, with nine wickets in four games at 10.66 a pop.
Big-hitting batter Harry Brook and 19-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed are the other notable omissions from England's squad, though both, along with Archer, are expected to be among three travelling reserves for the World Cup.
Brook's omission is due to Stokes' coming out of retirement and return to ODI cricket. Stokes had retired from the one-day format in July of last year, citing an "unsustainable" cricketing schedule and with the hope of the move prolonging his career in Test cricket and T20s.
He was also expected to have surgery on his troublesome left knee after captaining the Test team in the Ashes but will instead postpone addressing the injury in order to play in the World Cup as a specialist batter.
Seemingly in a nod to Moeen Ali's response to Stokes' own call for him to come out of retirement in Test cricket to play in the Ashes this summer, Stokes tweeted on Wednesday morning, simply 'Lol'.
On Stokes' selection over Brook, Wright said: "There is no doubting he [Brook] is somebody we couldn't think any higher of but in that middle order, with Stokesy coming back as a batter, it does squeeze someone out.
He added: "It wasn't really a case of changing his [Stokes'] mind. He was always interested in coming back - once he felt like his body was in a good place and he'd had a rest.
"If there was ever someone for the big moments, it's Ben Stokes. Who better than to have someone like him come back for us? We're all so happy he's back - it will give the boys in the squad a big lift.
"At the end of the day, it's a World Cup that we want to win and we feel like we've got more of a chance with Stokes playing than we haven't."
Further notable inclusions in England's 15-player ODI squad are left-arm seamers Reece Topley and David Willey, with the latter set to get his World Cup chance after having missed out for Archer at the last minute in 2019.
England's official World Cup Squad must be submitted by September 6, with changes allowed until September 28. Their four-match ODI series against New Zealand starts on September 8 and concludes on September 15.
Both Brook and Ahmed have been included in the 15-player T20I squad to face New Zealand, while Atkinson is one of three uncapped T20I players picked, along with Hampshire right-arm seamer John Turner and Worcestershire quick Josh Tongue, who made his England Test debut this summer.
Stokes - along with Joe Root, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood - has only been included in England's ODI squad, while Ahmed, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Tongue, Turner and Luke Wood are in the T20I party only.
Wright added on Atkinson's inclusion in both squads and the World Cup 15: "Gus deserves to be in there. He is hugely exciting and has been outstanding - and not just in The Hundred.
"He is someone I've been a big fan of for a while. He roughed me up on a few occasions as a player, so when I came into this role he was someone I was keen on. And he has really kicked on this year.
"He adds that extra pace that everyone is always looking for. He is a real asset and we're delighted to give him an opportunity."
England follow their games against New Zealand with a three-match ODI series against Ireland (squad still to be named) before their World Cup campaign kicks off against the Black Caps in Ahmedabad on October 5.
Sky Sports cricket writer David Currie:
"Firstly, Ben Stokes' ODI return is a huge boost for England as they look to defend the 50-over title they won so dramatically when beating New Zealand in the final four years ago, a game in which he was so influential. Stokes almost single-handedly dragged them over the line on that memorable day at Lord's, scoring 84 not out before returning to add some crucial super-over runs.
"It's with the bat that it looks like Stokes' role will be limited to this time around, the all-rounder still plagued by an injury to his left knee, and his return has spelled bad news for Harry Brook. The Yorkshire and England batter is only picked for the T20Is and therefore fails to add to his three ODI caps, with Dawid Malan - fresh from four hundreds in his last 12 ODIs - seemingly pinching the reserve batting spot for the World Cup.
"On the bowling front, despite head coach Matthew Mott saying recently he would be willing to 'take a risk' on 'proven performer' Jofra Archer for the World Cup, it seems the pace bowler has failed to prove his fitness in time to earn a spot.
"For Gus Atkinson, it's a wonderful and perhaps unexpected opportunity to prove his worth as a like-for-like replacement. The Surrey speedster sent down a delivery clocked at 95mph for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred recently and adds extra fire to the England attack alongside Mark Wood.
"Rehan Ahmed is a somewhat surprising omission. It was anticipated that England might pick a third spinner in their squad, in addition to Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, for the sub-content conditions in India, but they've instead opted for extra pace reserves and with the option of using the part-time spin of Joe Root and Liam Livingstone."
Wednesday August 30 - Seat Unique Riverside, Durham (6pm)
Friday September 1 - Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester (6pm)
Sunday September 3 - Edgbaston, Birmingham (2.30pm)
Thursday September 5 - Trent Bridge, Nottingham (6pm)
Friday September 8 - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (12.30pm)
Sunday September 10 - The Ageas Bowl, Southampton (11am)
Wednesday September 13 - The Kia Oval, London (12.30pm)
Friday September 15 - Lord's, London (12.30pm)
Wednesday September 20 - Headingley, Leeds (12.30pm)
Saturday September 23 - Trent Bridge, Nottingham (11am)
Tuesday September 26 - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (12.30pm)
Thursday October 5 - vs New Zealand, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (9.30am)
Tuesday October 10 - vs Bangladesh, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala (9.30am)
Saturday October 14 - vs Afghanistan, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi (9.30am)
Saturday October 21 - vs South Africa, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (9.30am)
Thursday October 26 - vs Sri Lanka, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore (9.30am)
Sunday October 29 - vs India, BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow (8.30am)
Saturday November 4 - vs Australia, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad (8.30am)
Wednesday November 8 - vs Netherlands, Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Gahunje (8.30am)
Saturday November 12 - vs Pakistan, Eden Gardens, Kolkata (8.30am)
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