England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), on August 16, 2023, announced their provisional squad for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 with two big names Jofra Archer and Harry Brook.
The 2019 World Cup champions will kick off the 2023 event on October 5 when they clash with New Zealand in a replay of the 2019 edition tournament final.
As many as nine players from the 2019 team retain their spots. Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes were part of the England team, who won their maiden ODI World Cup.
Archer, who led England in wickets when they won the event four years ago and sealed their victory in the championship match with a calm Super Over, has been sidelined with an elbow stress fracture this year and hasn’t played since the IPL.
Former Sussex teammate Luke Wright, an England selector, stated that while they were “desperate” for Archer to be well, they were hesitant to “force him into playing” before the end of his recovery process.
“There has got to be a duty of care with Jof. We know how desperate we all are to have him – there’s no doubt about that – but we’ve also got to get it right for him. He’s been very unfortunate with these injuries… regarding the World Cup, unfortunately, we’re just running out of time.
He’s not going to come around quite quickly enough, especially for the first part of the World Cup. There is a duty of care with him. We have to make sure that long-term, we get it right because we see him as a huge asset for a long time. As much as the temptation is to try and rush him in and get him in for the start of this World Cup, unfortunately, we’re just going to run out of time,” Wright was quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Wright also revealed Archer would only be included in England’s World Cup plans as a traveling reserve. Apart from Jofra Archer, one major name missing out is that of Harry Brook, who seemingly missed out due to the return of Ben Stokes.
Gus Atkinson Only New Face In England’s Provisional World Cup 2023 Squad
England has made several major decisions for its initial lineup for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, with all-rounder Ben Stokes being chosen in a group of 15 players sans teenage hitter Harry Brook and star quick Jofra Archer.
Stokes’ decision to play in the four-match ODI series against New Zealand, which starts next month, was officially announced on Wednesday. The 15 players chosen to face the Kiwis were also on the initial World Cup list, according to Luke Wright, the England selector.
The selection of Gus Atkinson is also a surprise, as he has yet to play for England in any format of the game. The 25-year-old has impressed with his raw pace, as he was clocked regularly breaching the 90 kmph mark in the ongoing Hundred League.
It is worth noting that the deadline to name the provisional squad is September 5, while changes can be made until September 28.
England’s provisional squad for the World Cup: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.