Jamie Smith has been left out of England’s T20 World Cup squad, with Josh Tongue handed a call-up as a reward for his Ashes form.
Tongue became the first English bowler to be named man of the match in a Boxing Day Test, and has now been selected in the T20 squad for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka and the World Cup that follows.
Josh Tongue is in line for his white-ball debut for England after impressing Down Under – Getty Images/Philip Brown
But Smith has been dropped from his position as ODI opener after a lean run across all formats, with Zak Crawley called up to replace him. Smith opened the batting against New Zealand in three T20s and three ODIs before the Ashes, but has struggled for runs in Australia, scoring just one half-century in eight innings and posting four single-figure scores.
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Despite the ongoing Ashes, England had to name a provisional World Cup squad by January 1. Jofra Archer, who has a side strain, is included, but England can adjust the squad until January 31.
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The tournament will be held in India and Sri Lanka with England playing three ODIs and three T20s in Sri Lanka beforehand.
That means Harry Brook’s squad, some of whom have been on the road since early October, will have just a week at home after the Ashes ends. Eight members of the Ashes squad are involved in the Sri Lanka tour.
There is also no place for Jordan Cox, who continues to impress in franchise cricket.
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Crawley’s Test opening partner Ben Duckett makes both the ODI and T20 squads, as do Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.
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Archer will not travel to Sri Lanka as he recovers from a side strain, but is expected to be fit for the World Cup. Brydon Carse will be in Sri Lanka but has been pipped to the final seam-bowling spot by Tongue.
Since making his England debut in 2023, Tongue has played eight Tests, but is yet to appear in white-ball internationals. In two Ashes Tests, he has taken 17 wickets, and was also the leading wicket-taker in last year’s Hundred, with 14 wickets at an average of 11.1. England hope his pace and awkward angle will trouble batsmen whatever the format.
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There is also a place for leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed, who missed out on the Ashes squad, but is playing in the Big Bash League for Hobart Hurricanes.
A white-ball squad built in Harry Brook’s image
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It is striking how much Ashes form has dictated England’s squad for the T20 World Cup, the second major assignment of a long, hard winter.
But perhaps that was always inevitable. England only have one coach now, Brendon McCullum, and he has the deepest sense of where each player is in winter that spans five months, with just eight days at home in the middle of it all.
The player who has lost the most appears to be Jamie Smith, the Test wicketkeeper, ODI opener, and T20 floater. He has been rested for recent T20 series but, having missed out on an IPL deal, has been left out of both white-ball squads. His Ashes has been disappointing, bar a second-innings 60 in Adelaide that briefly gave England hope. Nevertheless, it is surprising to see him discarded so quickly from the white-ball squads.
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Zak Crawley comes into the ODI squad, possibly to reunite with his Test partner Ben Duckett at the top of the order. It creates a squad built in captain Harry Brook’s image, including team-mates from his U19 World Cup days such as Will Jacks and Tom Banton. Jordan Cox is another player unlucky to miss out.
Jordan Cox is a surprise omission from both white-ball squads – Getty Images/Gareth Copley
Another to lose out is Brydon Carse, who has had a mixed Ashes tour, taking 19 wickets but not always economically. His only hope of making the World Cup is if Jofra Archer is injured.
Selected over Carse is Josh Tongue, who has played in two Ashes Tests, taking 12 wickets at 18.6. He is the opposite of Smith, having appeared to gain the most in Australia, having never played a white-ball international before. Carse seemed very likely to make the World Cup before.
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This winter is so epic in length that some players were always likely to emerge, while others fell back into the crowd as Ashes form took its toll. Smith is the loser, Tongue the winner.
