England have announced a 16-man squad for next month’s ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Olly Stone, a 24-year-old seamer with genuine pace, is named in an England squad for the first time. His inclusion comes as cover for Liam Plunkett, who misses the first three games of the tour for his wedding.
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Stone has been in impressive form in domestic cricket, taking 34 wickets at an average of just 11.61 in Division Two of the County Championship. His speed as much as anything is sure to have caught the attention of the selectors.
Player-of-the-series in England’s recent Test series with India, Sam Curran, is included in the squad alongside his older brother Tom. Sam has previously played in just a solitary ODI for England which came against Australia earlier this summer. If the pair play together it will be the first time this century that England would have fielded two brothers in the same team.
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Liam Dawson, who also has just a single ODI to his name, is recalled to the squad as a third spin-bowling option behind regulars Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.
The only notable exclusion is that of David Willey, who was not considered for selection due to a back injury.
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Squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett (last two games only), Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
