Archer, Bethell return to England ODI squad for Australia tour
Thomas Rew and Eddie Jack earn maiden T20I call-ups
Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell have returned to England's ODI squad for the November tour of Australia, with the former rested for the upcoming tri-series in Pakistan and the latter having recovered from a knee injury sustained during the ODI series against India in July. The 16-member ODI squad led by Harry Brook will be close to full strength as they build up to next year's World Cup. Jos Buttler is unavailable following his recent hamstring surgery while Saqib Mahmood misses out with a knee injury.
However, Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue will not be part of the T20Is that follow as England manage their fast bowlers ahead of the Test tour of South Africa.
“The returns of Jacob Bethell and Jofra Archer for the ODI series means that we will be at close to full strength as we ramp up preparations for a World Cup in a year’s time,” said England national selector Marcus North. “The four quick bowlers will then leave after the three-game ODI series as we look to manage them ahead of the Test tour of South Africa.
The T20I squad instead will see as many as four uncapped players, including Thomas Rew and Eddie Jack, who have received their maiden England call-ups. Rew, 18, is the youngest member of the squad and only yesterday received an ECB central contract. He captained England to the final of the ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup in February. Both he and Jack were part of the England Lions squad that toured Australia last year.
Meanwhile, Phil Salt returns after recovering from the quad injury that ruled him out of England's 3-0 T20I series win over Sri Lanka last month. Aneurin Donald retains his place after making his debut in that series, while Luke Wood has also been recalled.
“Our T20 team has been in excellent form under captain Harry Brook and we are looking forward to the opportunity to test ourselves in Australian conditions against a very good team," North said.
England's white-ball tour of Australia begins with a warm-up game at the WACA in Perth on November 7. The Three ODIs will be played on November 13 (Optus, Perth), November 15 (Adelaide) and November 18 (Hobart). The five-match T20I series will begin on November 21 at the MCG with subsequent games in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra .
