T20 WC 2021 | England recall Tymal Mills for T20 World Cup, Ben Stokes remains unavailable
England have named Tymal Mills and Chris Woakes in their 15-member squad of the T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman. Test skipper Joe Root and all-rounder Ben Stokes were the most notable absentees, with the latter having taken an indefinite break from the game to focus on his mental well-being.
Tymal Mills, who last played for England four years ago, has been recalled for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Mills has been one of the most sought after bowlers in various T20 leagues over the years, and was in prime form in The Hundred recently, where he represented the inaugural title winners Southern Brave.
"Tymal Mills deserves his inclusion and has demonstrated over the past couple of years, but particularly this summer that he has all the skills to succeed at this level," Chris Silverwood, the head coach, said. "His exceptional pace is a standout, and the way he has spearheaded Sussex and Southern Brave's respective attacks in the short-form game has shown that he relishes the pressures of the big stage. He will add variety to our bowling unit, and we can't wait to see him play in a major international tournament."
Chris Woakes too made the cut, after having returned to England’s T20I setup earlier this summer for the first time since 2015.
The 2016 runners-up will be without their premier all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has currently taken an indefinite break from the game. Test skipper Joe Root too, misses out, so does Jofra Archer, who has been ruled out of action for the rest of the year with an elbow injury. Root was England’s leading run-scorer in the 2016 edition, with 249 runs from six innings at 49.60, but hasn't played a T20I since May 2019.
Silverwood, however, believes that the Eoin Morgan led outfit is well settled and has enough depth and balance going into the tournament.
"We are excited about the prospect of challenging to win the ICC T20 World Cup," Silverwood said. "I believe we have selected a squad that covers all bases and has the depth to be successful in what is expected to be a very competitive tournament featuring the best players in the world."
England will kick start their campaign against defending champions West Indies on October 23 in Dubai.
England squad for T20 World Cup: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Reserves: Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, James Vince