England begin the five-game T20 series against the West Indies on Saturday; George Garton, David Payne and Harry Brook could make their international debuts; Phil Salt in line for first appearance at T20I; Sam Billings available for selection after arriving from Ashes service
Eoin Morgan is captaining a 17-man England squad for the five-match T20 international series against the West Indies in Barbados.
England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan says his team’s development is more important than winning during the five-match T20 international series in the West Indies.
Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Mark Wood and Ben Stokes are among those missing due to their Ashes efforts, so there could be international debuts for left-arm closers David Payne and George Garton and batsman Harry Brook in the opening game of the series on Saturday (8 pm England time).
Starter Phil Salt could also play his first T20I having featured in three one-day internationals against Pakistan last summer.
A batch of England players, including Garton, Saqib Mahmood and James Vince, have been playing in the Big Bash League in Australia, the venue for the upcoming T20 World Cup later this year.
Asked if staying in the BBL would have been a better preparation for the World Cup than a series in the Caribbean, Morgan said: “This takes the guys out of their comfort zone a lot more.
“Unless they play in finals or games that go all the way at the Big Bash, [then] I would agree with you, but not many have been close games.
“Here it will take them out of their comfort zone because the West Indies are a very talented team. They hit up to No. 11.
“I think the whole tour is one where developing our game is more important than winning the series.”
Liam Livingstone will miss the first T20 due to illness unrelated to Covid, but goalkeeper Sam Billings is in contention.
Initially, it seemed unlikely that Billings would be available for this weekend’s doubleheader (match two is at 8pm GMT on Sunday) after joining England’s Ashes team and making his Test debut in Hobart.
But the early end of the match in Tasmania (Joe Root’s side were beaten in three days suffering a 4-0 series loss) allowed the Kent man to reach the Caribbean with time to spare.
England defeated the West Indies in the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in October, beating the Caribbean team by just 55 during a six-wicket win in the group stage.
A different looking Windies team will line up in Barbados over the next week, with Dwayne Bravo retiring from international cricket after the World Cup and Chris Gayle being overlooked.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said: “We’ve moved on, we can’t dwell on the past.
“These guys have done great for us and are legends in their own right, it’s about time we start focusing on what’s needed right now.”
“I don’t think the focus is on what we had before, it’s about what we can do today to improve the West Indies.”
West Indies recently lost 2-1 to Ireland in an ODI series on home soil.
Pollard added: “We need to improve the way we play in all departments.
“Batting has definitely been a problem for us, but the good thing is that we have some new faces in the group, guys looking to make a name for themselves on the international scene and in the world of cricket.
“We just need to be able to do the basics right, play the situation and not the game. For us, it’s like starting from scratch.”
