England have named their 15-man preliminary squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup, with Ben Stokes not considered for selection as he continues his indefinite break from cricket to prioritise his mental well-being.
Other notable omissions include Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson and England Test captain Joe Root, while Surrey seamer Tom Curran has been selected only as a travelling reserve, alongside Liam Dawson and James Vince.
Sussex quick Tymal Mills, who last played for England in February 2017, has been called up after impressing for Southern Brave in the inaugural season of The Hundred, in which he claimed eight wickets and conceded 1.14 runs per ball.
“Tymal Mills deserves his inclusion and has demonstrated over the past couple of years, but particularly this summer that he has all [the] skills to succeed at this level,” said England head coach and selector Chris Silverwood. “His exceptional pace is a standout, and the way he has spearheaded Sussex and Southern Brave’s respective attacks in the short-form game has shown that he relishes the pressures of the big stage. He will add variety to our bowling unit, and we can’t wait to see him play in a major international tournament.”
England have until October 10 to finalise their squad, and have in the past chosen to make last-minute changes. Ahead of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, England included Jofra Archer, who misses out this time through injury, and Dawson at the expense of David Willey and Joe Denly, with the former pair having not been selected in England’s initial squad.
England’s squad is largely as expected. Willey and Chris Woakes join regulars Mark Wood and Chris Jordan in the seam department, Adil Rashid is the sole specialist spinner, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone all-round options, and Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings available as batsmen.
England T20 World Cup 2021 squad
Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Sam Billings (wk), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, David Willey, Mark Wood, Sam Curran.
Travelling reserves: Liam Dawson, Tom Curran, James Vince.
