Agency :
Uncapped left-arm seamer David Payne has earned a maiden call-up to England’s T20I squad for the West Indies series. England’s selectors announced a 16-man squad that will be led by Eoin Morgan for the five-match series.
Payne, 30, was named in England’s ODI squad earlier this year after England’s first-choice squad had to enter isolation ahead of the series against Pakistan. The Gloucestershire seamer didn’t play a game in that series but enjoyed a decent domestic campaign, taking 12 wickets from 9 games at 8.83ER. He also took six wickets in the inaugural season of The Hundred playing for the Welsh Fire.
Paul Collingwood will stand in as head coach for the series that will be played in Barbados in the absence of Chris Silverwood who is in Australia currently, while Marcus Trescothick will join the squad as assistant coach. Of the 16 players named, 11 were at the T20 World Cup excluding those currently in Australia for the Ashes. Among those missing out are Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran and David Willey.
“We have selected a strong squad with some serious batting power and a balanced attack as we begin preparations ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia,” Collingwood said. “The World Cup is less than a year away and there will be increased opportunities for the squad in the absence of those players who are with the Ashes squad.
“I have good memories winning a World Cup in Barbados and I’m really looking forward to going back there with this squad to face a very good West Indies who will test all aspects of our skills.”
The series begins on January 22 and will go on until January 30.
The squad for the subsequent three-Test series will be named in due time. The series is scheduled to begin in Antigua on March 8.
Squad:Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Tymal Mills, David Payne, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince.
