England have announced a 14-man squad for the Vitality T20I series against Australia and India, with Joe Root returning to the format for the first time since September 2017.
Root has fought tooth and nail to gain more Twenty20 exposure. It is often a format he has been rested from given his commitments as Test captain and the volume of ODI cricket played in the lead-up to next summer’s 50-over World Cup. He reluctantly stepped away for the Trans-Tasman Tri-Series against Australia and New Zealand at the start of the year, despite wanting to further his short-form case ahead of the Indian Premier League auction. However, he did not get picked up.
His presence in this squad means his replacement then, Dawid Malan, drops out despite an impressive run of form that saw the Middlesex batsman strike three half-centuries in four innings during the Trans-Tasman series. That run, coupled with a 78 on debut last summer against South Africa, mean Malan averages 50 in the format with an impressive strike rate of 150.
Durham seamer Mark Wood is rested, ahead of the three-match ODI series against India that follows in July. All-rounder Ben Stokes will also be with the squad throughout the series as he continues his rehabilitation from a torn left hamstring. Depending on his progress, Stokes could be added to the squad.
England T20 Squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey
