George Garten included in England’s squad for series against Sri Lanka
England have included left-arm pacer George Garten in their 16-man squad for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka starting June 29.
England head coach Chris Silverwood declared a strong pace attack for the series despite the absence of injured pacer Jofra Archer and all-rounder Ben Stokes.
The 24-year-old Garten has played 24 List A matches, taking 29 wickets. Garten has neither an impressive economy rate nor bowling average, but the pace has been an exceptional feature of his bowling.
On Garten’s inclusion in the team for the series, Silverwood said, “We have been monitoring George Garten’s progress for a long time. He has been a vital part of Sussex’s bowling unit in white ball cricket for a long time. Being a left-arm fast bowler, his ability to bowl fast will definitely give us options in this series and he deserves the opportunity at this level.
It is noteworthy that England have not rested any mainstay for the series except the injured pair of Stokes and Archer, which has been a feature of their rotation policy during the pandemic era of international cricket. “This ODI series is important as we will continue to build momentum ahead of the 2023 World Cup,” the head coach said. Despite a few injured players, the team I have picked is strong and gives us depth in all departments. We look forward to competing and presenting a good cricket to the fans.
Olly Stone is understood to have suffered a stress fracture in his lower back, so he is out of the squad for the rest of the summer season, while Saqib Mahmood and Reece Topley are also unavailable for selection due to their respective injuries. Huh. Silverwood said, “Many players are not available for selection due to injury. Jofra Archer (right elbow), Saqib Mahmood (abdomen) and Reece Topley (side strain) are not all present, but they will all continue to recover from their respective injuries. We are delighted that Ben Stokes is returning to cricket in Durham this weekend after recovering from his injury. If all goes according to plan, I hope he can be available for selection for the Vitality T20 series against Pakistan next month.
It is noteworthy that England have to play three ODIs against Sri Lanka on 29 June, 1 and 4 July respectively at Durham, The Oval and Bristol.
England squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Karen, Tom Karen, Liam Dawson, George Garten, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
