Five IPL players in England ODI squad

Five players involved in the Indian Premier League have been named in England’s squad for the one-day international series against West Indies later this month.

Following the rescheduling of the IPL, the final will now be played on 3 June, the same day as the third and concluding ODI against the Windies.

Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Jofra Archer and Will Jacks are all in a 16-man ODI squad that includes a recall for spinner Tom Hartley and fit-again pace bowler Brydon Carse, but not Liam Livingstone.

A sixth IPL player, Phil Salt, is in the England squad for the three-match T20 series, which begins three days after the tournament ends.

The England and Wales Cricket Board issued no-objection certificates (NOC) up to the original date of the final, 25 May. The ECB said those will now be under “review”.

All 10 English players involved with the IPL will hold a meeting with the Professional Cricketers’ Association on Tuesday to discuss the security arrangements around a potential return to India.

England ODI squad: Harry Brook (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith.

From the five players included in the ODI squad, Archer and Overton play for Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings respectively, two sides that will not reach the knockout stage. That clears the path for both to return in time to play a full part in the Windies series.

Buttler (Gujarat Titans), Bethell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) and Jacks (Mumbai Indians), could all feature in the knockouts, leaving potential decisions to make. All-rounder Bethell had already opted to skip next week’s one-off Test against Zimbabwe in order to play at the IPL.

If the trio wish to complete the IPL, England would then have to rule on an NOC. It may be that the ECB wish to avoid a confrontation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

In addition, the IPL has implemented a policy of enforcing two-year bans on any players pulling out of deals, though an exception could be made in these extreme circumstances.

The ECB said: “We’re keen to support the IPL and the BCCI in getting the schedule up and running, and to facilitate players’ return should they choose to go back.

“No Objection Certificates have been granted based on the original IPL dates, so we’ll need to review any potential extensions, particularly in relation to any clash with the final white-ball squad. We’ll continue to work closely with the BCCI and the IPL as the situation develops.”

The one-day series against West Indies is significant as Harry Brook’s first as England’s new white-ball captain.

England are looking to rebuild their white-ball teams following an awful 18-month period, which culminated in defeat in all three of their games at the Champions Trophy in February.

Opener Salt and all-rounder Livingstone are out of the ODI squad, with left-arm spinner Hartley back in an England party for the first time since the T20 World Cup last June. Jacks is also recalled after being omitted for the Champions Trophy and could open the batting.

Spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson, a World Cup winner in 2019, is named in the T20 squad and is in line to play international cricket for the first time in three years.

Chosen with an eye on the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in the early part of next year, the Hampshire man is rewarded for his consistent good form both in domestic cricket and overseas franchise leagues.

There is no place in either squad for Sam Curran or Reece Topley, two left-armers with central contracts and involved in the IPL.

While England’s path to the World Cup in 2027 is precarious, it is not as straightforward as they would like.

The top eight teams in the International Cricket Council rankings qualify directly for the tournament, or the top nine should co-hosts South Africa be in the top eight.

England are currently eighth after a dismal run in 50-over cricket.

West Indies are currently below them in ninth but would swap places with England if they win the upcoming series and win a three-match contest against Ireland beforehand.

England then do not play 50-over cricket again until September, by which time they could have dropped out of the top nine if Bangladesh win a series in Sri Lanka.

England would still have time to recover the situation, however, as the qualification cut-off for the places via the rankings is not until 2027.