New Delhi: England chose Phil Salt as stand-in skipper and picked Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton for their T20Is debut in the opening game of the three-match series against Australia on Wednesday.
In the absence of injured skipper Jos Buttler, the England and Wales Cricket Board picked Salt as the man to lead the team at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
After the three T20Is, the two teams will engage in five ODIs. After failing to defend their ODI and T20 World Cup titles, England have gone in with fresh players in an effort to rejig the team.
The 23-year-old Cox was rewarded for being the top-scorer for champions Oval Invincibles in 2024 edition of The Hundred competition while 20-year-born Bethell caught the eye for Birmingham Phoenix.
All-rounder Overton has alredy played one Test for the national team though he will be restricted to play only as a batter as he is still on the mending path from a back injury.
Buttler out
England’s regular white-ball skipper Jos Buttler was sidelined with a right calf injury and could sit out the ODI series well. The right hand batter sustained the injury in July before The Hundred and was subsequently had to miss the tournament.
Buttler last played for England in their loss to India in the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in June and has spoken of his frutration at being sidelined.
“Frustrating to have a setback with the injury but working hard to get it right.” The captain also seemed upset with the setback as he is eager to recover and make a comeback. This was yet another hiccup as he was recovering from a right calf injury. In his absence, Phil Salt was named as England’s captain for the T20I series.
The England team
Phil Salt (capt, wkt), Will Jacks, Jordan Cox, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Reece Topley
In the absence of injured skipper Jos Buttler, the England and Wales Cricket Board picked Phil Salt as the man to lead the team against Australia. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
