England tour New Zealand this winter with five T20Is and two Tests scheduled.
My squads are listed below roughly in batting order followed by reserves but particularly in the Test format Sibley or Pope could slot in whilst a bowler is rotated/rested. I’d also anticipate some workload management for players such as Stokes, Woakes and Archer in the T20Is and particularly Stokes and Broad in Tests.
T20I
Jason Roy
Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper)*
Jonny Bairstow (Wicketkeeper)*
Eoin Morgan (Captain)
Ben Stokes
Moeen Ali
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Chris Woakes
Jofra Archer
Adil Rashid
Tom Banton
Liam Livingstone
Liam Dawson
Saqib Mahmood
*Can both be deployed as wicketkeeper during the series.
Test
Rory Burns
Joe Denly
Joe Root (Captain)
Ben Stokes
Ben Foakes (Wicketkeeper)
Jos Buttler*
Sam Curran
Chris Woakes
Jack Leach
Jofra Archer
Stuart Broad
James Anderson
Dominic Sibley
Ollie Pope*
Dom Bess
Jamie Porter
*Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope can both act as wicketkeeping cover for this two-match series.
Jonny Bairstow would be dropped from the Test side. Players can be rested/rotated where necessary during each series as oppose to being omitted entirely.
Some extremely good players (Too many to mention) miss out. A variety of spin bowlers have made cases particularly in the T20 format but Dom Bess remains a better back-up option for now in Tests despite a less than stellar domestic season. Numerous other players pushed for selection in both formats and those players would be selected for England Lions in the appropriate format.
I really do like those squads – a mix of experience and youth in the T20I’s and in the Tests a sense of inevitability with Sibley, but players like Bess, Pope and Porter weren’t given enough opportunity especially Bess whose all round skills were a revelation against Pakistan. Pope deserves a chance with his imperious 221 not out and Porter is one of those seamers who consistently takes wickets. Sussex’s Ollie Robinson is another along with the Somerset pair of Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory.
Some very good squads their to take on my home born team New Zealand!
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Bess gets the nod because I think that other spinners would be best served with the Lions and he wouldn’t let anybody down if called upon at the last minute. Not sure what the Lions are doing this winter though, no fixtures scheduled.
Porter has done well for years so edges out Coad, Gregory and a late bid from a returning to fitness Bailey. Division Two and a poor Lions appearance against Oz will count against Robinson.
The likes of Carter and Brown etc could yet squeeze into the T20I side but I think they’ll select Mahmood for sure. Would Carter open the bowling for England like he does for Notts?
A lot depends on how much resting/rotation they opt for.
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