Alex Hales and Liam Plunkett left out of 55-man group; Dan Lawrence, Amar Virdi, Ollie Robinson among new names included
Saturday 30 May 2020 10:12, UK
England have selected 14 uncapped players in a 55-man back-to-training group as they step up their preparations for a return to international cricket behind closed doors.
England hope to begin a three-Test series against West Indies at bio-secure venues from July 8, in a summer in which they are also scheduled to play Pakistan, Ireland and Australia across red and white-ball cricket.
Squads for specific formats will be announced in due course but the list of uncapped players includes seamers Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Sussex) and Tom Helm (Middlesex).
Batsmen Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Phil Salt (Sussex), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire) and Dan Lawrence (Essex) are also included, as are wicketkeeper-batsman James Bracey (Gloucestershire) and off-spinner Amar Virdi (Surrey).
David Willey, who missed out on selection for the 2019 World Cup, has been included but there is no place for Alex Hales, who was dropped before the World Cup for a reported second failed drugs test, or Liam Plunkett.
Seamer Plunkett, 35, has not played for England since the World Cup final win over New Zealand at Lord's last July.
Left-arm paceman Reece Topley is back, though, after overcoming a spate of injuries - the 26-year-old played the last of his 16 white-ball games for England in early 2016.
The expanded group will not be brought together in one place, with individual sessions at a host of county venues the only form of training currently approved.
ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat said: "It's really pleasing to be in a position to have players returning to training and a huge amount of work has been done by many to get us this far.
"The pool of players will give selectors strong options when it comes to selecting squads across formats further down the line, as we move closer to our aim of playing international cricket this summer.
"We will need to continue to work closely with our medical team and government to ensure that our return to training and play activities are in line with best-practice guidelines.
"We're also really grateful for the positive and collaborative response from our county colleagues who are doing a great job at facilitating coaching and support for the players. The fact that we can call on our network to support the national effort shows the strength of our system."
Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Dom Bess (Somerset), Sam Billings (Kent), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Pat Brown (Worcestershire), Rory Burns (Surrey), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Joe Denly (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Laurie Evans (Sussex), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Richard Gleeson (Lancashire), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Craig Overton (Somerset), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Ollie Robinson (Sussex), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Phil Salt (Sussex), Dom Sibley (Warwickshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Reece Topley (Surrey), James Vince (Hampshire), Amar Virdi (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham)
