England on Friday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. The overall squad covers all the areas required to lift the big title.
Whether it’s batting depth, bowling variety or quick fielders, the English group has everything covered. However, it should also be taken into consideration that the side will be without some big guns.
While some missed out on the squad owing to poor form, others had to be left out due to injuries. Here’s a look at four England star cricketers who will miss the mega-event:
1) Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer was England’s first-choice bowler and one of the best in the world before his series of injuries began. The pacer is struggling with injuries and has not been able to overcome them. He is missing his prime time and has missed out on some of the big events of the game. Again, his services will be missed by the English side as Archer is ruled out of the event.
2) Jason Roy
Jason Roy’s exclusion is not due to any injury but his poor form with the bat. Once a regular starter, he is now struggling to find a spot in the team. Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, the right-handed batter has not been impressive for his national side in the shortest format of the game. He has not been able to live up to expectations even in the ongoing The Hundred tournament.
3) Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow was selected in the squad for the multi-nation tournament but the following evening, the ECB released an official statement regarding his injury. He sustained an injury while playing golf, which will see him miss out on the tournament in October. It will be hard for the Jos Buttler-led side to find a proper replacement for the highly prolific batter.
4) Alex Hales
One unfortunate miss would be Alex Hales, who has not made it to the squad despite being fit and in good form. To evaluate, Hales is the leading run-scorer in T20 cricket this year. He has amassed 1263 runs in 38 innings, averaging 35.08 with a strike-rate of 162.33, including 10 fifties. With Bairstow being injured, it is quite possible that the right-handed batter might be picked for the tournament. However, an official declaration is yet to come from the English board.
