England’s T20 World Cup squad talking points: Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett and more | Cricket News

Was it a risk to recall Jofra Archer to the England squad? Were there any surprise selections or notable omissions? We take a closer look at those heading to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States…

England named a provisional 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup – starting on June 1 – and the preceding four-match T20 series with Pakistan, which begins on May 22, with every match of both live on Sky Sports.

Archer has been included despite not featuring for England since last March and having not played competitive cricket for a year due to a right elbow injury, with veteran seamer Chris Jordan and uncapped Tom Hartley also named in Jos Buttler’s squad.

Hartley provides an extra spin option to established duo Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, while Mark Wood and Reece Topley join Archer and Jordan to make up the seam department.

2022’s player of the tournament Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone are the all-rounders, with Harry Brook also returning from their previous T20 World Cup win, with Jonny Bairstow, Phil Salt and Will Jacks all featuring after impressing in the Indian Premier League in recent weeks.

Former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain discussed the squad announcement in the latest Sky Sports Cricket podcast, where they reflected on all the talking points and had a closer look at how they could line-up during the tournament.

“It’s a fairly predictable squad,” Atherton said. “There’s a strong nucleus of experienced players with a bit of fresh blood in the likes of Jacks and Hartley. There’s no real bolter, that nobody has thought about, that suddenly have been picked by the selectors. If we were going to pick 15 names, we would pretty much come up with that kind of 15.”

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Is Archer’s selection a gamble?

Archer has not played competitive cricket since last May due to a recurrence of a stress fracture in his troublesome right elbow and hasn’t played internationally since last March, although if fully fit can spearhead the England attack.

Atherton: “He will definitely improve England’s side if he’s available, because he’s a multi-phase bowler. He can bowl quick with the new ball, he can come on and bowl thunderbolts in the middle of an innings for an over or two if you need it, then clearly has his ability at the death to bowl yorkers.”

Hussain: “You’d say that Jofra is the headline act, isn’t he? He did an interview recently where he said not sure he could go through another (long injury). We wish Jofra well because he is absolutely box office.”

How will England’s batting line-up look?

Hussain: “Jos Buttler and Salt are probably going to open after what happened in the Caribbean. Will Jacks after what happened in the IPL probably comes in at No 3 and then Bairstow there at No 4. You would say all four of those would like to bat in the top three, if not open.

“Could we see Brook at four or even Duckett at four? In the absence of Ben Stokes, who said he wasn’t going to be considered for this, could Duckett come into that side as a left-hander? Or is he just a spare batter?”

Atherton: “I thought they’d go Buttler, Salt, Jacks, Bairstow, Brook, Livingstone as the top six. You’ve then got a couple of left-handers in there in Moeen and Curran who could float if you need them to.

“The one issue there in that top six – if it is that – is that it is a right-hander heavy top six. It’s nice to have the option of mixing left and right, so I’m sure that played to Duckett’s advantage.”

Is the balance of England’s squad right?

England elected to go with the extra batter in Duckett rather than pick an extra all-rounder option, with Chris Woakes – one of the players who struggled during the dismal 50-over World Cup defence last autumn – among those to miss out.

Atherton: “Somebody like Max Holden can’t be far away and I think he’s somebody whose T20 game has come on leaps and bounds for Middlesex. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was probably in the conversation and Jordan Cox maybe, who’s just moved to Essex.

“Duckett’s been around the team for a year or two, made that transition to international cricket pretty well and if he’s not in the first choice top six, then he’s good spare batter to have. He’s an excellent player of spin and an excellent sweeper.”

Hussain: “I was asked to do my side and I had both Woakes and Jordan in because I wouldn’t have taken the extra batter, because there’s so many batting options in there. Jordan is brilliant in all phases, is great in the field and he scores very useful runs down the order.”

Will Buttler keep the gloves or pass to Salt?

Stop clocks will become a permanent fixture at the T20 World Cup, with teams getting two warnings for failing to start a new over within 60 seconds before further breaches leading to a five-run penalty per incident, but could that make life harder for Buttler to juggle captaincy and keeping?

Atherton: “If I was Matthew [Mott], I’d just say to Jos ‘What do you want to do?’ If he’s more comfortable and he feels that it’s going to be of the teams’ benefit to be an outfielder, then Salt can keep wicket.

“Jos knows in his heart of hearts what he wants and what he thinks will be best. He’s the main man, he’s the captain and he’s such an important player at the top of the order. As we’ve seen as he’s come into form in the IPL, it makes a massive difference when Buttler is doing well.”

Is there pressure on England?

Hussain: “T20 is a lottery anyway, but to win this thing with some of the sides out there, is going to be the hardest. You look at the host nation in the West Indies, you look at South Africa and their batting line-up.

“India are coming into this off the back of the IPL and some of the players coming into form, then Australia are looking for the treble of the 50-over, 20-over and the Test Championship, so they’re hoping for the full whack. There are a lot of good teams.”

Atherton: “I’m not sure you can judge England on whether they win this tournament because T20 is more of a lottery and is very difficult to call the winners. What they have to be judged on in this tournament, Mott and Buttler, is just getting most of the big decisions right.

“I don’t think you can be guaranteed to win it, even if you do, but you want to see evidence that the ship is run well. I think what was evident from India in the 50-over World Cup is that too many things went well that were in their control, so they’ve got to have a better tournament than that.”

When does England’s World Cup defence begin?

Prior to the World Cup, England’s four-match T20 series with Pakistan is live on Sky Sports and begins at Headingley on May 22, with further fixtures at Edgbaston (May 25), Cardiff (May 28) and The Oval (May 30).

Buttler’s side begin their title defence against Scotland in Barbados on June 4, ahead of playing Australia at the same venue on June 8. They then face Oman in Antigua on June 13 and Namibia in the same place two days later, with the top two from the group then progressing to the Super 8s.

Watch every match from the T20 World Cup, plus England’s four-match T20I series at home to Pakistan in May, live on Sky Sports Cricket or stream with NOW.

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