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On Saturday, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the 16-member squad for the upcoming home T20 International (T20I) series against Sri Lanka, starting on June 23. As many as three T20I games would take place in the series.
All-rounder Chris Woakes and left-arm speedster David Willey have been picked in the 16-man outfit. Woakes, who has been seen representing England in ODIs regularly, last played for his side in a T20I back in November 2015 against Pakistan. Similarly, Willey hasn’t appeared in the national team in the shortest format since May 2019.
“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 head coach of England Men’s team Chris Silverwood as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“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. I hope we can continue to excite the England fans with our approach,” he added.
The likes of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Reece Topley weren’t considered for selection as they are currently recovering from finger, elbow and side strain injuries, respectively.
Speaking about the T20I leg, the series opener will take place in Cardiff on June 23, while the second game will be played at the same venue on June 24. Similarly, the third and final fixture will be hosted by Southampton on June 26.
England’s squad for Sri Lanka T20Is:
Eoin Morgan (c), 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, Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings.
