Were England right to rest Joe Root and Jos Buttler against Pakistan?

England sprung a surprise by leaving star men Jos Buttler and Joe Root out of their opening T20 international against Pakistan - and the decision certainly got our pundits talking.

Buttler blasted the fastest ODI ton by an Englishman against the same opposition last week, while Root posted two half-centuries as the tourists won the 50-over series 3-1.

But the duo were rested in Dubai to allow Hampshire batsman James Vince to make his debut, Sam Billings to keep wicket and England to explore other options ahead of next spring's ICC World T20.

Vince and Billings shone, plundering scores of 41 and 53 respectively as Eoin Morgan's men prevailed by 14 runs, but did England make the right or wrong call in omitting the big names? Here is what David Lloyd, Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick said beforehand...

DAVID LLOYD

I have reflected for a long time on this and come to the conclusion that it's right to give everyone a go. When you're going to the World Cup you need to know about the individual players within the squad so I am quite happy that they are rotating, though I would have sent Root home. Football managers, like Louis Van Gaal and Arsene Wenger, will rest players to give them a breather and look at others, so I am relaxed about it. I am certain Buttler will get a go in this series and he will probably be a bit fresher when he does.

NICK KNIGHT

I would have thought the management should know enough now about someone like Billings and what their best XI is, so I would have picked the best XI for these three games to try and win it 3-0, make a statement against a side that is ranked at No 2 in the world and go to the T20 World Cup with lots of confidence. England are missing an opportunity - if I was watching at home I would want to see Buttler play and I'm sure he must be frustrated that he's not. I feel desperately sorry for him.

MARCUS TRESCOTHICK

I don't have a problem with Root missing out. He has played a hell of a lot of cricket and knows his role, so the selectors are fairly comfortable they can throw him in at any minute. I'm not comfortable with Buttler [missing out] as having had a tricky winter and then come back into form I think it would have been a great opportunity to maintain his level. But in tournaments you need more than 11 players - you need 14-15 people who you can chop and change depending on conditions and know that they can win you the game.

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