Eoin Morgan made the make-up of his first-choice T20 side pretty clear during the recent 3-2 series defeat to India.

While Mark Wood was forced out of the second match of the series with an injury, England employed a fixed XI for the other four matches: Roy, Buttler, Malan, Bairstow, Morgan, Stokes, Sam Curran, Jordan, Archer, Rashid and Wood.

England’s white-ball depth means plenty of star performers currently sit outside that XI – enough to make up a pretty handy side of their own. With that in mind, were England for some outlandish reason unable to field their first-choice T20I XI, you’d imagine the line-up they’d plump for would look something like this.

Alex Hales

Undoubtedly one of the best T20 batsmen on the global franchise circuit, some would argue that Hales should be in England’s first-choice XI. Nonetheless, it seems an England return is still possible for a man who’s been exiled for the last two years, with Ashley Giles telling Sky earlier this month that “the door can’t be closed forever”.

Tom Banton

Banton fits in perfectly here as he has been a reserve option in England’s top order since making his international debut back in 2019. While he struggled most recently against Australia last September, a T20 strike rate of 151.35 means he has the ideal power for a T20 opener.

Joe Root

The biggest name here and one who was England’s leading run-scorer when they reached the World T20 final five years ago. Bumble’s still holding out hope for him as well.

Liam Livingstone

Livingstone has been in and around England’s white-ball set-up over the last year and finally got to make his ODI debut on Friday. The power and skill that has defined him in domestic cricket was clear to see in an unbeaten 21-ball 27.

Sam Billings

Billings has been a utility man in England’s white-ball batting line-up for six years now, and while his best work has come in ODIs, he has managed to play 30 T20Is. He’s usually the man to drop in when one of England’s regulars drops out, and like he did against New Zealand back in 2019, he’s able to take up the gloves too.

Moeen Ali

Moeen hasn’t played a T20I since he captained England back in September, with Sam Curran having displaced him since in the No.7 role. England’s management has said that a lack of turn left him on the sidelines during the India series, but his status as a first-choice pick has certainly diminished.

Tom Curran

Curran has had a difficult winter with England and appears to have lost his spot in Eoin Morgan’s first-choice XI, with Mark Wood’s express pace too useful to ignore. Prior to the India series, he’d played in 21 of England’s last 22 T20Is.

David Willey

While he hasn’t played a T20I since 2019, Willey was in England’s squad for their series against Pakistan last year and it would seem unwise on their part for him to be completely ignored in the future. The left-armer was their leading wicket-taker at the last World T20 and carries an impressive record in the shortest form.

Saqib Mahmood

Mahmood is another quick bowler who has dipped in and out of England’s white-ball line-ups in the last couple of years and his stock is high at this moment in time after impressing in the PSL. Prior to the tournament’s abandonment, Mahmood took 12 wickets in just five matches for Peshawar Zalmi.

Reece Topley

Topley may not be in England’s first-choice line-up yet, but he does offer variety to the white-ball set-up. His height means he can extract greater bounce than Sam Curran from a left-armer’s angle, while he impressed on Friday at the death in his first ODI since last July.

Matt Parkinson

England clearly see Parkinson as a wrist-spinning back-up to Adil Rashid, with the Lancashire bowler currently in England’s ODI squad in India. Strangely enough, he hasn’t played a T20I since November 2019, when he managed to take four wickets against New Zealand at Eden Park.

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