Yorkshire well represented in touring parties as England rest key trio

YORKSHIRE have three representatives in both the England T20 and 50-over squads for the forthcoming tour to South Africa.
Doubling up: Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid, above, and Jonny Bairstow feature in both England’s T20 and ODI squads for South Africa. Picture: PADoubling up: Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid, above, and Jonny Bairstow feature in both England’s T20 and ODI squads for South Africa. Picture: PA
Doubling up: Yorkshire’s Adil Rashid, above, and Jonny Bairstow feature in both England’s T20 and ODI squads for South Africa. Picture: PA

Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid have been selected for both formats, with England playing three T20 internationals from November 27-December 1 followed by three one-day internationals from December 4-9.

Dawid Malan has been chosen for the T20 series, reflecting his status as the world’s No 1-ranked T20 batsman, and Joe Root has been picked for the ODI leg.

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David Willey, the Yorkshire T20 captain, was not considered due to a back problem, while England have opted to rest Jofra Archer, Sam Curran and Ben Stokes for the ODI series due to their involvement in the Indian Premier League. Stokes returns for the T20s after missing the second half of the international summer for family reasons.

Number one: Yorkshire and England's Dawid Malan the world's No1-ranked T20 batsman. Picture: PANumber one: Yorkshire and England's Dawid Malan the world's No1-ranked T20 batsman. Picture: PA
Number one: Yorkshire and England's Dawid Malan the world's No1-ranked T20 batsman. Picture: PA

The all-rounder returned to action with Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, but England do not want to over-burden him at this stage.

The selectors are keen to manage the amount of time that players spend in biosecure bubbles away from their families, with Archer, for example, having spent 87 days in the England bubble during the summer before travelling to the IPL.

Bairstow has also been playing in the IPL along with England captain Eoin Morgan, who will lead the team across both formats.

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Ed Smith, the national selector, said: “We’re very mindful about the amount of cricket we’ve got coming up over Christmas.

“We have a very congested schedule, with Test tours to Sri Lanka and India (coming up).

“We want Jofra, Ben and Sam to be at their best when they’re playing for England, while taking some opportunities to rest them from some cricket.

“I don’t think it’s a question of (being) too tired; I think it’s more nuanced than that.

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“If you look at their big performances in an England shirt, I don’t think anyone could question their commitment to the cause.

“Clearly, multi-format players who also play franchise cricket - they are going to need some rest, and that is something that we, as selectors, are very mindful of and will take when we believe it is in England’s best interests.”

England have become increasingly keen for their players to take part in franchise cricket, especially with two T20 World Cups on the horizon.

This time next year, pandemic permitting, Morgan and co will be seeking to add the T20 world crown to their 50-over World Cup triumph of last year, thus T20 is taking priority at present.

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England fly to South Africa on November 16 and will stay in Cape Town in a biosecure environment.

They will play three intra-squad warm-up games before the T20 series, with all the behind-closed-doors tour fixtures taking place in Cape Town or Paarl.

T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.

ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

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Reserves across both formats: Jake Ball, Tom Banton, Tom Helm.

Mark Wood has revealed he is “still trying to chase that dream” of representing England in every format as the paceman looks to reclaim his spot in the Test side after being overlooked for a red-ball central contract.

“I still love playing for England. I’ll have to prove again, if selected, I can do the business and hopefully in the future rewards come,” he said.