England have handed comebacks to Chris Woakes, David Willey and Liam Dawson for their forthcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting June 23.
Woakes, an integral member of the Test and ODI setups, is back in the T20I squad after as many as five years. The Warwickshire all-rounder has previously featured in eight T20Is for England with an indifferent record. But his presence throws up options to the team, especially with the new ball.
So does the inclusion of Willey, who last represented England in the shortest form of the game back in May 2019. A good pace exponent of the left-arm angle across the right-hander, Willey has played 28 T20Is for England with 34 wickets at an economy rate of 8.19. Willey also is a handy batsman, with an overall T20 strike-rate of 139.72.
Dawson, the left-arm spinner, has also returned to the T20I squad after 2018, having featured in only six matches in the format for his country previously.
With the likes of Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer still recovering from injuries and missing the Sri Lanka series, head coach Chris Silverwood said the aim behind the selected squad is to “perfect” their line-up ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“With several high-profile players missing through injury, it allows me to look at some of our experienced players who have not featured at this level for some time.
“The likes of Chris Woakes and David Willey are very experienced cricketers, and to have them both in the mix is exciting and shows the depth of squad we have available. I want our team to play an attacking form of the game. I hope we can continue to excite the England fans with our approach,”
Silverwood added was in an ECB release.
Cardiff will host the first two T20Is on June 23 and 24, respectively, followed by the third and final one in Southampton on June 26. The Sri Lankans will also play three ICC Super League ODIs on their trip, including matches at Durham (June 29), The Oval (July 1) and Bristol (July 4).
