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Harry Brook given chance to press England World Cup claim after being picked for ODI squads
Yorkshire batsman who was a shock omission from provisional World Cup squad is selected for seven matches against New Zealand and Ireland
Harry Brook has been handed ample opportunity to press his case for inclusion in England’s final World Cup squad after he was called up for four one-day internationals against New Zealand and three against Ireland.
Brook was a shock absentee from England’s provisional World Cup squad after Ben Stokes reversed his ODI retirement, but his strong form in the Hundred and international cricket led coach Matthew Mott to say on Tuesday that the door remains open to a call up.
He has now been added as “batting cover” to the squad to face New Zealand from Friday, and Ireland in a fortnight.
The squad for Ireland does not contain a single player in England’s provisional World Cup squad, as they are all rested in preparation for a long tour of India. It will be captained by Zak Crawley, with his Test opening partner Ben Duckett vice-captain.
England are looking to test their vaunted white-ball depth with the squad containing three uncapped players. They are Warwickshire’s Sam Hain, 28, who has an extraordinary List A record, averaging close to 58, the second-highest ever among those who have batted 50 times, as well as Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman Jamie Smith, and the Derbyshire quick George Scrimshaw.
Crawley will captain England for the first time in what will be just his fourth ODI. He leads a young team of fringe England white-ball players including the likes of Phil Salt, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed. An England statement said the selection panel “consulted with the first-class counties, and weighed their ambitions in the run-in to the end of the LV= Insurance County Championship season, before finalising the squad”.
Brook may find himself pitted against his rivals for a place in the World Cup squad – Jason Roy, Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone – in the New Zealand series. He provides cover at a time when Malan could take some paternity leave this month, while Jonny Bairstow did not field in the final Twenty20 at Trent Bridge on Thursday because of a sore shoulder. He is not thought to be a doubt for Friday’s series opener.
Brook and Brydon Carse, who performed strongly in the drawn T20 series against New Zealand, are in the ODI squad to face the Black Caps alongside the 15 players in the provisional World Cup squad. England can make changes to their squad for the tournament until Sept 28.
England squad to face Ireland: Zak Crawley (Kent – captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire – vice-captain), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matthew Potts (Durham), Phil Salt (Lancashire), George Scrimshaw (Derbyshire), Jamie Smith (Surrey), Luke Wood (Lancashire).