England dropped out-of-form opener Jason Roy and welcomed back fit-again seamers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood in their squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia beginning next month.
Roy has been an integral part of England's white-ball squad and his explosive batting at the top of the order embodied the team's aggressive approach as they won their maiden 50-overs World Cup title in 2019.
The 32-year-old has struggled for runs this summer and hit 76 runs in total in his last six Twenty20 Internationals which made his position untenable for the World Cup and the preceding seven-match Twenty20 series in Pakistan.
Woakes and Wood, both of whom last played for England during the test tour of the West Indies in March, have recovered from their respective injuries to be in both squads.
The World Cup squad includes Chris Jordan (finger) and Liam Livingstone (ankle) who will skip the Pakistan tour to continue their rehabilitation, the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.
Captain Jos Buttler, who is recovering from a calf injury, will tour Pakistan but will be available to play only in the later stages of the series.
"In Buttler's absence, Moeen Ali will captain the side," the ECB said.
Jordan Cox, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Olly Stone and Luke Wood are the five uncapped players named in the England squad for the Pakistan series which begins on Sept. 20 in Karachi.
Former champions England begin their Twenty20 World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on Oct. 22 in Perth.
T20 World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Reserves: Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tymal Mills
(Reuters)
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)