ECB names 24-man behind-closed-doors ODI training group for Ireland series

England National Cricket Selectors have picked a group of 24 players for the upcoming series against Ireland. The 24-strong ‘behind-closed-doors training group’ will be practicing in a biosecure bubble at Ageas Bowl from July 16, Thursday. The Ireland cricket team would be arriving in England for a three-match ODI series scheduled on July 30, August 1 and August 4. The entire series would be hosted at Ageas Bowl as the stadium has an on-site hotel.

The final England squad for the Ireland series along with the number of reserves will be decided by organizing two intra-squad warm-up matches on July 21 and July 24. England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed Paul Collingwood as the head coach for the upcoming ODI series.

Marcus Trescothick and Jon Lewis would play the role of batting and bowling coaches respectively. The responsibility of the pacers has been handed to Jon Lewis while Claude Henderson will be the spin bowling coach. Also, James Foster will look after the wicketkeepers of the team.

Three main cricketers namely Worcestershire’s Pat Brown (back), Sussex’s Chris Jordan (right arm) and Yorkshire’s Dawid Malan (right calf) were not picked for the squad due to their injuries.

There is depth to England’s white-ball playing talent, says Ed Smith

The ongoing Test series between England and West Indies marks the return of the game of cricket after an unexpected long break owing to the coronavirus outbreak. England will be playing three Test matches against Caribbeans starting from July 8 to July 28. As a result, no player would be present in both the Test and ODI squad.

Speaking on the selection of ODI squad, National selector Ed Smith said as quoted as ecb.co.uk, “Even with several multi-format players unavailable for the Ireland ODIs due to their Test commitments, there is real depth to England’s white ball playing talent.”

“Again, everyone at England cricket would like to thank all the county coaches and support staff who have helped these players in the lead up to the behind-closed-doors training camp. We now look forward to hosting Ireland and continuing to develop our white ball strength in depth,” he added.

Here’s England’s Behind-Closed-Doors ODI Training Group:

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Henry Brookes, Brydon Carse, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Laurie Evans, Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory, Sam Hain, Tom Helm, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey.