England have announced an all-new 18-man squad for the Pakistan ODIs after the entire original squad was forced to self-isolate due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the camp.
Three players and four members of the support staff tested positive for the novel coronavirus, with every other member of the England set-up deemed close contacts.
With the first ODI against Pakistan starting on Thursday, June 8, England have been forced to name an all-new squad, captained by Ben Stokes. The all-rounder had previously been building back up to full fitness in county cricket following a broken finger sustained in the Indian Premier League.
The group only contains six completely uncapped players, though several have been called back in from the cold. Danny Briggs, notably, last played for England in 2014. David Payne, John Simpson, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Phil Salt, and Brydon Carse have never played for England in any format, while Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence are each yet to make their England white-ball debuts.
“It’s a great opportunity to play on the biggest stage, and for most of the players selected it’s not necessarily something they would have been expecting 24 hours ago,” said Ashley Giles, the ECB’s managing director of England men’s cricket. “It’s an exciting group of players, with some young talent and some players who have impressed at domestic level over a long period of time.
“We’re in unprecedented territory, in terms of replacing an entire squad and management team, and I’m very proud of how everyone has come together in order to get it done – both those within the ECB and from the county game.”
Chris Silverwood, who had been on leave, will return to take charge of the group.
England squad for Pakistan ODIs: Ben Stokes (c), Dawid Malan, David Payne, John Simpson, Jake Ball, Danny Briggs, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, Phil Salt, James Vince.
