Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer get the nod for England World Cup squad

Liam Dawson came in from the cold to take his place in England’s World Cup squad, with Joe Denly and David Willey missing the cut.
England's 15-man squadEngland's 15-man squad
England's 15-man squad

Dawson, the Hampshire spinner, played the last of his three one-day internationals in October and was not involved in the recent 4-0 series win over Pakistan.

Both Denly and Willey were named in last month’s provisional 15 but both men have seen their tournament dreams dashed.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Denly had been lined up as a utility option in the squad, a flexible batsman and a late-blooming leg-spinner, but England have used him sparingly as a bowler.

Jofra ArcherJofra Archer
Jofra Archer

Head coach Trevor Bayliss has admitted that Dawson’s slow left-arm spin is more reliable and a strong show in the One-Day Cup has pushed him over the line.

Willey, meanwhile, has paid for the emergence of the exciting Jofra Archer.

The Barbados-born quick was yet to make his debut when the preliminary selection was made but swiftly became a must-pick after passing his early auditions on the international stage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The third and final alteration from the initial squad became a necessity when Alex Hales was discarded following off-field indiscretions.

Liam DawsonLiam Dawson
Liam Dawson

James Vince was added in as his replacement ahead of the Pakistan series and holds his place.

National selector Ed Smith called Archer an “outstanding talent” after naming him in England’s squad for the World Cup.

“We’ve seen Jofra Archer play against Pakistan and we’ve seen the skills he has,” said Smith.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is pretty straightforward. He’s an outstanding talent, that’s clear to all of us. He has pace, bounce, skill.”

Smith said he had told Willey of the news on Monday.

It will have been a crushing blow for the Yorkshire left-armer, a mainstay of England’s limited-overs sides over the last four years.

“I spoke to David, he’s an outstanding man,” Smith added. “He’s very honest, dignified. He’s a very impressive man and cricketer.

“The new-ball area is strong and David Willey was unfortunate.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He could easily have been in the World Cup squad, he deserved to be in.

“It was a very difficult situation we were in as a panel. We had more players than we were allowed.”

ENGLAND SQUAD: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.