Jos Buttler to lead rejigged England squad for white-ball tour of West Indies

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced the squads for the white-ball tour of West Indies next month and have made a host of changes, potentially giving a glimpse into the direction the Three Lions could be taking, going forward.

England are slated to play three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies and Jos Buttler will continue to lead the Three Lions despite a failed World Cup campaign in which England finished seventh, below both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, outside Buttler, for the ODIs, only five players remain from the squad that represented England at the ICC Men’s 50 Over World Cup in India - Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone. 

Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Dawid Malan, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes, all of whom are either in the mid or late 30s, have all been left out. 

Zak Crawley, Rehan Ahmed, Ben Duckett, Phil Salt and Will Jacks, all of whom featured in the starting XI in the Ireland series, have all been included in the ODI squad while there is a surprise call-up for Ollie Pope despite his rather ordinary List A record (average 33, strike rate 79). 

Nottinghamshire’s Josh Tongue, who played in The Ashes, has made the cut, as has John Turner, who represented Trent Rockets in the 2023 edition of The Hundred.

But while the older players have been left out of the ODI squad, some of them have made it to the T20I squad, with the World Cup less than seven months away. Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid all have made the T20I cut despite not being picked in the ODIs. 

There is also a recall for Tymal Mills, whose last T20I appearance came against India in 2022.

A notable absence in both the ODI and T20I squads is Jofra Archer, who, according to managing director Rob Key, has suffered a setback in rehab. 

"Rather than pick him in the squads, we're just going to play it by ear and when he's fit and ready to come back in, he'll come back in," Key said on Sunday.

"Until he's ready and fit, he won't be in the squad - and even then, he's going to take a period of building up. It's not going to be straightforward, and we've got to be so careful."

The month-long tour will kick-start with the ODIs, the first of which will be played on December 3 in Antigua. 

England Squads

ODI squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, John Turner 

T20 Squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Reece Topley, John Turner, Chris Woakes