Hales, Plunkett left out of England's 55-man training group
England announced a pool of 55 players for resumption of training, on Friday. As many as 37 names have been added to the list of (18) bowlers, who returned to individual training last week. The likes of Alex Hales and Liam Plunkett faced a snub, while several uncapped players have been selected. Meanwhile, ECB will look to stage a full home season post July.
A number of uncapped players who impressed in England Lions' tour of Australia have been included. James Bracey, Brydon Carse, Will Jacks, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Dan Lawrence are mong them. Besides, Ben Duckett, Sam Billings, Reece Topley, Liam Livingstone, Mason Crane and David Willey have also made the cut after making a number of international appearances last year.
As expected, opener Alex Hales hasn't received a reprieve. He was dropped from the squad in 2019, after failing a second test for recreational drugs. Earlier this week, skipper Eoin Morgan reiterated Hales could be considered if he wins the trust of players back. Pace spearhead Liam Plunkett, who claimed three scalps in the 2019 WC final, is also a notable exclusion.
The group will train in individual sessions across several county venues with respective coaches and staff. Notably, the official squads will be chosen at a later date, ahead of the West Indies Test series.
With West Indies, Pakistan and Australia lined up to tour England, the 55-player pool could carve out the potential squad. ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat said the bunch will help determine the options. "The pool of players will give selectors options when it comes to selecting squads across formats, as we move closer to our aim of playing international cricket this summer," he said.
"It's really pleasing to have players returning to training and a huge amount of work has been done by many. We will work closely with our medical team to ensure that our return to training is in line with best-practice guidelines," said Mo Bobat.
