James Vince might have had a torrid time converting his starts in the five-Test Ashes series but the ECB selectors have offered him another chance at the highest level by including him in England’s 16-man squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series in Australia, also involving New Zealand, that begins in February.
Barring two fifties in five Tests, Vince has failed to cross the score of 25 throughout the series, making only 242 runs at an average of 22.68. However, the T20I selection comes as a shot in the arm for the England No. 3 batsman, who has garnered severe criticism for throwing away his wickets after promising starts.
Also making a return in the abridged version are Kent’s wicketkepeer-batsman Sam Billings and Durham pacer Mark Wood, who missed out on England’s previous T20I assignment against Windies at home in September. Meanwhile, Jonny Bairstow and Mooen Ali, who have featured in all five Ashes Tests and will also play in the succeeding ODI series, have been rested from the shortest format.
There is no such luck however for Test skipper Joe Root, who is set to feature in both the limited-overs series in Australia, and Dawid Malan. “We felt with that it was important for Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who have had an intense period of Test cricket over the past few months, to play in the series and continue to develop their T20 experience and skills,” said James Whitaker, the chairman of selectors.
Ben Stokes has also been included in the 16-man squad but his availability remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary charges in relation to the Bristol bar incident last September. “Should the ECB Board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage,” the English cricket board said in a statement.
England, led by the regular limited-overs’ skipper Eoin Morgan, will play a five-match ODI series, and a T20 warm-up against Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra, before the T20I series gets underway from February 3. England play their first match of the tri-series against Australia on February 7, in Hobart.
T20I Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Sam Billings (wk), Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, David Willey, Mark Wood
