England T20I squad vs India: England have made a solitary addition to their T20I squad for the tour of India this month.
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England have made a solitary addition to their T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against India beginning from March 12. The rest of the team comprises of the same 15 players who had toured South Africa last year.
Batsman Liam Livingstone, who had last played at the highest level against South Africa in 2017, has earned a recall following an impressive Big Bash League season. Representing Perth Scorchers, Livingstone scored 426 runs in 14 innings at the top of the order at an average and strike rate of 30.42 and 133.96 respectively including three half-centuries.
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Livingstone, who has played a couple of T20Is for England, will be fighting for the opening slot alongside the likes of Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.
Opening batsman Alex Hales, who had top-scored in BBL 10 with 543 runs at a strike rate of 161.60 comprising of one century and three half-centuries for Sydney Thunder, has been once again left out despite his stellar form across T20 leagues in the last two years or so.
Since the start of 2020, Hales has amassed 1,471 runs in 45 T20 innings at an average and strike rate of 35.02 and 154.52 respectively including one century and 10 half-centuries. The 32-year old batsman’s exclusion has raised numerous questions for the English selectors from the whole cricketing fraternity.
England T20I squad vs India
Wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler (first Test), all-rounders Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran and fast bowler Jofra Archer, all of whom are part of England’s Test squad for the ongoing four-match series, have been named in the T20I squad as well.
Batsman Jonny Bairstow and fast bowler Mark Wood, both of whom had been rested for the Test series, will return as part of the T20I team and presumably also play pivotal roles in a three-match ODI series.
Fast bowler Jake Ball, who had replaced Tom Curran at Sydney Sixers in BBL 2020-21 to pick nine wickets in seven matches at an economy and strike rate of 11.2 and 16 respectively, will tour India as a reserve player. Ball, 29, had last played for England across white-ball formats in 2018.
Ball will be accompanied by spinner Matt Parkinson, who had played in the ODI series against South Africa last year.
England team for India tour – Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Reserves – Jake Ball and Matt Parkinson.
