Disastrous Tournament Results
The ODI side has just been knocked out of the
Champions Trophy after losing all three of their group games, ending in an awful, timid display against
South Africa. That follows the disappointment of the 2023
World Cup, a tournament they headed into as reigning champions but resulted in emphatic failure – a seventh-place finish which included defeats to underdogs Afghanistan and ninth-place Sri Lanka, whose only other win came against bottom-of-the-table Netherlands.
T20 Setbacks and Leadership Changes
In similar disappointment, the
T20 side also surrendered their crown as world champions with a bleak defeat to India in the semi-finals of last year’s
World Cup – a competition in which they never looked at their best.
Mott’s Departure and McCullum’s Impact
Back-to-back failures in international tournaments brought the end of Matthew Mott’s time in charge of the limited-overs side and Test head coach Brendon McCullum subsequently took over. However, the Kiwi has so far had the opposite effect to his exciting, inspiring brand of cricket in the Test arena, with the white-ball sides coming away from their tour of India and the Champions Trophy with a record of one win and 10 defeats.
Buttler Resigns and Squad Changes Loom
The dreadful run of form has already led to
captain Jos Buttler resigning from his role after Wednesday’s defeat to Afghanistan confirmed their departure from the tournament. With no obvious ready-made successor, the make-up of England’s
squad for their ODI series against the West Indies at the end of May could be vastly different.
Key Player Decisions for the ODI Series
There will be significant calls for Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone to be dropped, alongside a lack of support for Jamie Overton and Jamie Smith in their current roles and a potentially serious knee injury to Mark Wood which will almost certainly see him sidelined for the series.
Balancing ODI Series with Test Commitments
With the limited-overs series taking place in between a one-off Test with Zimbabwe and the five-match series against India, pace bowlers Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson may be rested with a further focus on the winter’s Ashes series Down Under.
Likely Squad Selections and Potential Changes
Ben Duckett and Joe Root were England’s most consistent performers across their New Year series and will be automatic selections in the side, while Harry Brook, despite his recent poor form, will be the most likely player to take over as white-ball captain. Buttler will also comfortably retain his spot in the side, with his reputation as one of, if not the best, white-ball players in England’s history.
Emerging Talent and the ODI Call-Up
Young all-rounder Jacob Bethell will almost certainly return to the side on a regular basis, but as he has also impressed on the Test stage he may be rested for the limited-overs series. Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid are comfortably the side’s best performers in their respective areas, but the former may not be included in the series with the Windies, as management figures eye a Test return for him in the summer.
A New Look for England’s ODI Squad
Thus,
England’s squad for the three-match series, getting underway on 29 May, is likely to feature new incomers in a mix of roles.
Here are five players who may earn a call-up to
Brendon McCullum’s ODI squad to face the West Indies at the start of the summer.
Tom Banton
Although the Somerset batter was named in England’s squad for the Champions Trophy, it was only as a replacement for the injured Jacob Bethell and he was not given an opportunity in the tournament despite top-scoring in the final ODI against India.
With pressure to drop Phil Salt, who averages 26.45 since the start of 2023 with only three half-centuries, Banton may be given the chance to stake his claim as Ben Duckett’s long-term partner at the top of the order.
The 26-year-old made his 50-over international debut in 2020 and played five games, averaging 26.80, before being dropped.
Over four years went before he was recalled to the side following Bethell’s injury and he impressed in Ahmedabad as his 38 was the highlight of England’s 142-run defeat.
He was in the process of building a stellar partnership with Joe Root and had hit two exemplary reverse sweeps for six before falling to a fine lbw decision.
If given another opportunity in his more regular position as an opener he could prove to be a more adept hitter than Salt.
A balance of aggressive shots alongside the level-headedness to nudge singles and defend the necessary balls that Salt attempted to smash out of the ground, usually leading to his wicket falling, would greatly improve England’s top-order.
Banton has improved his game against spin since first being part of the England team and has proven in domestic T20 tournaments around the world that he has the ability to dispatch world-class bowlers all around the ground.
He was the second-highest run-scorer in the recent ILT20 league, hitting 493 runs at an average of 54.77 with two hundreds and three fifties, and was fifth on the list for T20 Blast runs last season, scoring 515 runs at an average of 46.81.
The Somerset opener, who can also keep wicket, would not be the most surprising selection in the side but would show McCullum will not stick with underperforming players, in this case, Salt, forever.
Sam Hain
The man that many fans of county cricket have been acclaiming for for years.
Hain has a one-day average of 57.76 which is higher than any other batter to have played fifty or more innings in the format.
The Warwickshire batter, who was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Australia, has scored over 3,000 domestic 50-over runs and made 10 centuries and has been a player on the edge of the national side for several years.
He was given his chance on the international stage in 2023 against Ireland as part of a second-string eleven shortly before that year’s World Cup and impressed.
106 runs in two games with a high score of 89 showed that the 29-year-old has the ability to adapt with relative ease to the highest level of the game and could provide England with the necessary ability to rotate the strike, build an innings and make big scores that they have recently lacked.
Hain has been one of the most consistent performers in county cricket for many years and will surely earn another chance in the national team in the near future with England’s batting struggles recently.
He would likely slot into the number four position and along with Root would provide the basis for England to more consistently score big totals and allow the likes of Brook, Buttler and Bethell to be more aggressive without the added pressure they currently face.
Sam Curran
The all-rounder was recently dropped from the ODI side but may earn a quick recall due to the poor performances of England’s all-rounders across the winter.
Curran would provide more variation to the bowling attack, with his left-arm swing bowling and added variations.
He would also add more with the bat after Jamie Overton’s struggles at numbers seven and eight and has recently shown his batting ability in the ILT20, where he scored 387 runs at an average of 55.28.
He could even be moved up to bat at six, where he would have more time to build an innings and would not be forced to be as aggressive and explosive immediately upon his arrival at the crease.
A move into the middle-order would also play to his strengths, with Curran a strong player of spin and England’s middle-order, especially Harry Brook, having struggled against India’s spinners.
The Surrey all-rounder could bat at four or five and, alongside Joe Root, improve England’s rotation of the strike throughout the middle of an innings whilst also playing aggressive shots.
However, it appears that Brendon McCullum is not a
fan of the 26-year-old, most likely due to his slower bowling
speed. The New Zealander has not called him up for any Test squads since taking over the job in 2022 and dropped him from both white-ball squads in the New Year.
In Curran’s last ODI series in the West Indies at the start of the winter, he batted at number six and was England’s third-highest scorer in the series – 129 runs in three games at an average of 43.
If England want to improve their ability against spin and add more variation to their bowling lineup, then Curran should be recalled.
Dan Mousley
Another all-rounder, Mousley made his international debut in the West Indies series during the winter and impressed in both sides of the game.
He batted at number seven in the ODI series and scored 69 runs at an average of 34.50, including 57 in the final game. In the T20 series, he showed his unique ability with the ball, as his quick, darting yorkers were a surprise variation of his spin bowling.
If England choose to rest Bethell, or if he does not recover from his injury in time, then Mousley could be selected in the middle-order as a different option to Liam Livingstone, should he be dropped.
The Warwickshire all-rounder does not have much experience on the international stage but a series against the West Indies, who failed to qualify for the last World Cup and therefore the recent Champions Trophy, could give him the chance to show what he is capable of.
Pat Brown
Perhaps an unlikely selection, but Brown could earn a recall to the England side after an impressive 2024 season.
The Derbyshire bowler took 22 T20 Blast wickets in 13 games at an average of 18.18, numbers that earned him a place on the England Lions tour to Australia during the winter where he also impressed, taking seven wickets in one of the four-day matches against a Cricket Australia XI.
The 26-year-old burst onto the scene in 2018, when he took 31 wickets on Worcestershire’s way to winning the T20 Blast and was later named in England’s T20 squad to travel to New Zealand at the end of 2019.
He played four matches and took three wickets before being included in the ODI and T20 squads to face South Africa but a stress fracture in his back put a pause to his international career.
After a move to Derbyshire at the back end of 2023, Brown returned to form last season and was one of the best bowlers in the county circuit.
However, he is nowhere near a guarantee to be in the squad due to the depth of England’s bowling attack.
Below the likes of Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Brydon Carse also lie Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts and John Turner who have all featured in ODIs in recent months.
Brown may not find an easy way into the England team, but with McCullum’s reputation for picking unlikely players, he may somehow find himself back in an England jersey after a long five-and-a-half-years.
FAQ
Q: What is the main issue facing England’s white-ball cricket teams?
A: England’s white-ball teams are currently in a significant slump, with recent poor performances leading to a series of defeats and the resignation of their ODI captain, Jos Buttler.
Q: Who are some potential replacements for the struggling players?
A: Several players could be called up to the England squad, including Tom Banton, Sam Hain, Sam Curran, Dan Mousley, and Pat Brown.
Q: What are the key dates for England’s upcoming cricket fixtures?
A: England will play a one-off Test against Zimbabwe, followed by a five-match Test series against India, and a three-match ODI series against the West Indies.
Q: Who is likely to be the next England white-ball captain?
A: Harry Brook is the most likely candidate to take over the captaincy from Jos Buttler.
Q: What is the future of England’s white-ball cricket?
A: The future of England’s white-ball cricket is uncertain, but with a new captain and potential changes to the squad, there is hope for a turnaround in fortunes.
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