Harry Brook has been added to England’s squad for the one-day international series against New Zealand, with the minor shoulder injury felt by Jonny Bairstow in the final T20 against the same opponents on Tuesday presenting him with four further opportunities to play his way into World Cup contention before the squad is finalised on 28 September. He will also be in the squad to play three ODIs against Ireland, joining the seamer Brydon Carse as the only players in both groups.
The squad for the New Zealand series initially comprised 15 players and was presented as England’s final World Cup selection, but with Brook joining Carse in subsequently being added there will be some pruning to be done upon its completion. Many of the dozen players joining Brook in the squad to face Ireland will also hope they have a chance of making a late claim for a seat on the plane to India, which is scheduled to depart on 27 September, the day after their final game.
With the majority of England’s first-choice selection scheduled to have a few days off before they leave for the World Cup there is an unfamiliar look to the squad to face Ireland. England’s Test openers, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, will lead the team as captain and vice-captain respectively – Crawley leading the side despite having played only three ODIs, all of them within the space of five days in 2021.
Three uncapped players have been called up: George Scrimshaw, the 25-year-old seamer who will leave Derbyshire to join Northamptonshire at the end of the season; the 28-year-old Warwickshire batter Sam Hain; and the hugely promising Surrey wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith. Hain’s current average in all senior 50-over matches is 57.96, which of those who have played a minimum of 50 times in the format is the second best of all time behind only Ruturaj Gaikwad, the 26-year-old who has been left out of India’s provisional World Cup squad.
The 23-year-old Smith is the leading scorer for table-topping Surrey in this season’s County Championship with 729 at an average of 42.88, but has not played a 50-over game since 2021. His selection and that of his county teammate Will Jacks mean Surrey are likely to be without both players for their final two games of the County Championship season, at home to Northants and away to Hampshire. Essex, second in the table, have no players in the squad.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said its selection panel consulted with counties “and weighed their ambitions in the run-in to the end of the County Championship season” before making its decision.
England’s four-game series against New Zealand starts in Cardiff on Friday and concludes at Lord’s on 15 September, while the Ireland series gets under way at Headingley five days after that, with further fixtures at Trent Bridge on 23 September and at the County Ground in Bristol on the 26th.
