England have included fast bowler Jofra Archer in their provisional squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, despite him currently recovering from a left side strain that ruled him out of the final two Ashes Tests.
However, wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith has been omitted from the 15-man squad announced on Tuesday.
Archer, who picked up the injury during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, would also skip England’s warm-up tour of Sri Lanka next month to continue his rehabilitation. In his absence, Brydon Carse was added to the squad for the Sri Lanka tour, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is starting on January 22.
Surrey seamer Gus Atkinson would replace Archer in an England side down 3-0 in the five-Test series and would be playing for pride in Melbourne and Sydney.
“Warwickshires Jacob Bethell comes into the side and will bat at number three,” the touring side said in a statement ahead of the Boxing Day test.
Archer has been arguably England’s best player on this tour, taking nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul in Adelaide, and scoring valuable lower-order runs including a maiden fifty in the same match.
Josh Tongue has earned his maiden T20 call-up after impressing during the Ashes, despite having no prior experience in white-ball internationals. The 28-year-old enhanced his credentials with strong performances in Adelaide and Melbourne and was also the leading wicket-taker in last season’s Hundred competition.
England T20 World Cup squad:
Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood
Brydon Carse – Sri Lanka tour only
England ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour:
Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Luke Wood
