Reece Topley could win his first cap in more than four years after being recalled to England’s ODI squad to face Ireland this week. In the absence of a number of first-choice white-ball players, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson and David Willey have also returned to contention for the three-match series.
The uncapped trio of Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone will stay with the 14-man group, captained by Eoin Morgan, as reserves. Phil Salt, who scored a 58-ball hundred for the Lions in a seven-wicket win over Ireland on Sunday, misses out entirely.
Explainer: Men’s ODI World Cup Super League
Moeen Ali was last week named as Morgan’s vice-captain, and he is joined by fellow World Cup winners Jonny Bairstow, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy and James Vince in the squad. Joe Denly, who was dropped from the Test team earlier this month, is also selected, having moved over to the white-ball bubble.
The likes of Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood have not been considered for selection due to their involvement in the ongoing Test series against West Indies.
Ireland’s arrival, a series moved forward from September as part of Covid-19 rescheduling, will mark the start of the World Cup Super League, established by the ICC as part of its World Cup qualification path.
Topley was part of the England squad that reached the 2016 World T20 final, but has struggled with back problems, including a number of stress fractures. He underwent surgery in 2018 and was subsequently released by Hampshire, but impressed last season on a short-term deal with Sussex – where he was their leading wicket-taker in the T20 Blast – before signing for Surrey over the winter.
Willey returns for the first time since missing out on World Cup selection due to the rise of Archer, while Billings’ last ODI appearance came in 2018, with a dislocated shoulder ruining his World Cup chances.
England’s white-ball group, originally featuring 24 players, have been training at the Ageas Bowl since July 16, playing two intra-squad matches before the Lions match against Ireland. Matthew Parkinson was ruled out after spraining his ankle last week, while Chris Jordan missed the original cut after undergoing surgery on an elbow problem.
England squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey
Reserves: Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone