England pick uncapped David Payne and George Garton for West Indies T20s; Jason Roy returns after injury
England without Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood and Jonny Bairstow for West Indies T20 series due to Ashes commitments; Paul Collingwood will stand in as head coach with Chris Silverwood also in Australia; England play T20s on January 22, 23, 26, 29 and 30
Thursday 23 December 2021 14:32, UK
Left-arm seamers David Payne and George Garton are the two uncapped players in England's 16-man squad for January's T20 series in the West Indies, while Jason Roy returns after the injury that ended his T20 World Cup early.
The party includes 11 players who were in England's official squad or travelling party for the T20 World Cup in the UAE in October and November, including Roy, who suffered a competition-ending calf strain in his team's final Super 12 game against South Africa.
Five key players from the T20 World Cup are not involved, though, with Ashes commitments meaning Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Jonny Bairstow were not considered for selection.
The same applies to Ben Stokes, who missed the T20 World Cup during his break from cricket rehabbing a finger injury and prioritising his mental health.
The games against West Indies begin on January 22, just four days after the scheduled end of the Ashes, with the day-night fifth Test in Hobart running from January 14-18.
The absences of Buttler, Malan, Woakes, Stokes, Wood and Bairstow - plus a back injury to Tom Curran which he sustained playing for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash - have given opportunities to Payne, Garton, fast bowler Saqib Mahmood and batters Tom Banton and Phil Salt.
Salt has played three ODIs for England but is yet to make his T20I debut.
Payne, Garton, Mahmood, Banton and Salt will be looking to press their claims ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November 2022.
Like Roy, left-arm quick Tymal Mills (thigh) sustained an injury during the T20 World Cup but has returned to action for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash and is included for the series against West Indies.
With head coach Chris Silverwood also in Australia, Paul Collingwood - who captained England to the 2010 T20 World Cup title in the Caribbean - will lead the side, with Marcus Trescothick joining the team as assistant coach.
Gloucestershire bowler Payne, 30, was called up to a hastily-assembled England squad for last summer's ODI series against Pakistan after a Covid outbreak put the whole of the initial squad out of commission, but he did not play a game.
Sussex star Garton, 24, was also named in England squads last summer but is still seeking his first international appearance, which he will now hope comes in Barbados with the T20s against West Indies being played on January 22, 23, 26, 29 and 30.
Garton bagged 10 wickets in The Hundred for champions Southern Brave and also helped Sussex to Vitality Blast Finals Day.
Those exploits earned him an IPL opportunity with Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he picked up three wickets in five games.
Collingwood: "We have selected a strong squad with some serious batting power and a balanced attack as we begin preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
"The World Cup is less than a year away and there will be increased opportunities for the squad in the absence of those players who are with the Ashes squad.
"I have good memories winning a World Cup in Barbados and I'm really looking forward to going back there with this squad to face a very good West Indies who will test all aspects of our skills."
England squad for West Indies T20 series: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince
