Harry Brook named in England’s squads for Twenty20 and ODI series against India

07/01/2022

In-form Yorkshire batter Harry Brook has been named in England’s squads for their Twenty20 and one-day international series against India this month.

Matt Parkinson has also been drafted in as fellow leg-spinner Adil Rashid will miss both series after being given permission by the England and Wales Cricket Board to make The Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Uncapped seamer Richard Gleeson is included for the T20 series, Jos Buttler’s first assignment as England’s limited-overs captain following Eoin Morgan’s international retirement earlier this week.

While Buttler is not able to call upon Ben Stokes or Jonny Bairstow for three T20s from July 7-10 due to their Test commitments, the duo and Joe Root are available for the three ODIs from July 12-17.

Morgan stepping down means England will need to modify their plans for the T20 World Cup that starts in Australia on October 16, but Brook’s recall shows they have a conveyor belt of batting talent.

The 23-year-old’s international experience is limited to one T20 against the West Indies in Barbados in January but he is excelling against the red and white ball this season, averaging a titanic 115.75 in the LV= Insurance County Championship and 48 in the Vitality Blast, with a lofty 169.16 strike-rate.

With several quicks either on the sidelines, including Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Saqib Mahmood, or in the early stages of a return, like Chris Woakes and Olly Stone, England have also turned to Gleeson.

The 34-year-old, who did not make his first-class debut until the age of 27, was part of England’s expanded training group as part of cricket’s return from Covid-19 in 2020 and named as a reserve player for the ODI series against Ireland that year, but debilitating back problems derailed his career.

However, he is second in the wicket-taking charts in this year’s T20 Blast, with 20 dismissals at 16.1 in 12 matches which has helped to put Lancashire on course for a place in the knockout stages.

Red Rose team-mate Parkinson, who made his Test debut last month, seems set to add to his five ODI and four T20 caps in the absence of Rashid as he embarks on The Hajj pilgrimage, which takes place from July 7-12 and is mandatory for Muslims who are physically and financially able to travel to Mecca.

Rashid has found it difficult to make the pilgrimage in the past due to timings but was given the green light from the ECB and his county Yorkshire to do so this month.

While Dawid Malan is in the T20 squad, he does not retain his place in the ODI group despite a century in the 3-0 win over the Netherlands last month. Left-armers David Payne and Luke Wood also miss out.

There is no room in either squad for Sam Billings while Hampshire duo James Vince and Liam Dawson, Somerset opener Tom Banton and Sussex all-rounder George Garton – all of whom were in the Caribbean earlier this year for England’s most recent T20 series – are absent as well.

While Craig Overton has slid down the Test pecking order, the Somerset seamer has earned an ODI recall as England prepare to embark on 12 white-ball fixtures in 25 days in July, with three 50-over matches and three T20s against South Africa following the India programme.

Harry Brook named in England’s squads for Twenty20 and ODI series against India

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