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Alastair Cook retains England one-day captaincy for Sri Lanka series Alastair Cook retains England one-day captaincy for Sri Lanka series
(about 2 hours later)
Alastair Cook has retained the captaincy of the England one-day squad selected for the seven-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Once the selectors had decided to stick with Alastair Cook as their captain for 50-over cricket, the 16-man squad for Sri Lanka was unlikely to contain any changes of great consequence. However, the households of James Taylor and Gary Ballance may take a different view.
Cook has attracted much criticism for his captaincy of the ODI side but now looks certain to lead England at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. Taylor, who has appeared in two ODI matches separated by two years for England, both of them in Dublin, has been recalled on the back of some fine form for Nottinghamshire in this form of the game. In seven 50-over games for his county this season, he scored 444 runs at an average of 88 and a strike rate of 96. Anyone querying whether the diminutive Taylor has sufficient power for the modern game might be reassured that he hit 15 sixes.
The Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor, who has been capped twice for England in the 50-over format, is included for the first time since September 2013 and is joined by the Essex batsman Ravi Bopara in the 16-man squad. Taylor’s mature temperament has never been in doubt; in Sri Lanka he may have the chance to demonstrate that he can step up a level. He is probably the most experienced Lions cricketer of all time, not the most sought-after of accolades.
Six seam bowlers all of whom played for England this summer will travel to Sri Lanka for the matches in November and December, while Stuart Broad remains unavailable for selection while he continues his recovery from a knee operation. Ballance actually surfaced in county cricket as a prolific T20 batsman. Since then he has evolved and he had a superb international summer as a Test cricketer. He has the capacity to dominate against a white ball and is unlucky to be the man to make way for Taylor. It now feels as if his World Cup hopes are dependent on others’ failure or injury.
The national selector, James Whitaker, said: “With the ICC Cricket World Cup less than five months away we are very aware that our one-day cricket needs to develop quickly if we are to arrive at the competition ready to compete with the very best sides in the world. His misfortune is official, as national selector James Whitaker explained. “It’s our subjective opinion that the balance we have at the moment is right but the door is always open to Gary and I’ve said that to him,” he said. “He will be part of our one-day future in the next years or so. So, yes, he is unlucky; it’s just our opinion at the moment.”
“This tour to Sri Lanka allows the players and management to focus fully on improving skills in limited-overs cricket ahead of final selection for the Cricket World Cup. While conditions in Australia and New Zealand will differ to those the squad experiences in Sri Lanka we can still make significant strides forward as a side during the series.” The return of Ravi Bopara, omitted from the squad that played against India, was widely anticipated. Bopara benefited from the limitations of his replacements and his stock rose during that ODI campaign. His medium pacers should be handy in Sri Lanka and we all know he can bat without ever being convinced where he operates best. He is not the most reassuring of “finishers”, his most recent role.
Stuart Broad was not fit enough to be considered, but the hope and expectation is that he will be able to be included in a 15-man World Cup squad. So England will have to shed two players from their Sri Lankan expedition, where they play seven matches before heading off to Australasia in January.
Conditions in Colombo, Pallekele and Hambantota are unlikely to mirror those England will encounter in Australia and New Zealand. Even so, the selectors will monitor closely the performances of Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes, only two of whom can play in the same side. Stokes has the greatest potential, Woakes is the most reliable, Jordan has probably enjoyed the greatest success so far.
As for Cook, his latest commendation from Whitaker focused more upon his character – and his uniqueness – than his tactical awareness or capacity to score runs. “We believe Alastair has the skills, the drive and the enthusiasm to instil the right direction and control of the players,” said the selector. “He’s fully respected within the group and, more than anything, we believe he is a very constant person.
“The highs and lows he’s had over the last 12 months, it takes a unique sense of will to come through that. To keep getting up when you’re knocked constantly and to show a degree of humbleness when you’re doing well is unique in any leadership. We believe we have a unique leader and a unique person and that should not be underestimated”.
England squadEngland squad
Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcs), James Anderson (Lancs), Ian Bell (Warks), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Jos Buttler (Lancs, wkt), Steven Finn (Middx), Harry Gurney (Notts), Alex Hales (Notts), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Eoin Morgan (Middx), Joe Root (Yorks), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Notts), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Woakes (Warks).Alastair Cook (Essex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcs), James Anderson (Lancs), Ian Bell (Warks), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Jos Buttler (Lancs, wkt), Steven Finn (Middx), Harry Gurney (Notts), Alex Hales (Notts), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Eoin Morgan (Middx), Joe Root (Yorks), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Notts), James Tredwell (Kent), Chris Woakes (Warks).