Joe Root returns to the T20I side for games against Australia and India

The 14-man squad has been announced with the hope to change England's fortunes in this format.

Joe Root (ICC)

England Cricket Board(ECB) has announced their squad to face-off Australia and India in the T20 Internationals at home. The Eoin Morgan led side has been picked with England's disappointed T20 triangular series earlier this year, in Australia and New Zealand in mind and the hope to build a good core of players for the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia. 

The trio of Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow will again be contesting for the opening slots, with Bairstow also performing the wicketkeeping job. Roy has just hit form with a blistering hundred in the 2nd ODI at Cardiff against Australia, while Hales has been struggling for runs. 

The big news from the squad is the return to the T20I side of Test Captain Joe Root. Root has been desperate to play T20 cricket amidst the over-crowded calendar for him and very reluctantly skipped the T20 leg of the Trans-Tasman tour this winter. He'll be desperate to make a point in these four games. Joe Root's return means no place for Dawid Malan despite later's fantastic T20 form. 

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.

Australia will be playing a standalone match at the end of their limited overs tour, while India's full 10-week tour begins with these 3 T20Is. Both present a stiff challenge to the English team that has struggled in this format recently, despite their huge rise in the ODI. 

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

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 19 Jun, 2018

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