The ICC has not yet officially announced the schedule for the ICC Champions Trophy. However, England has already revealed its squad for the tournament, which will start on February 19 with the hybrid model. The 15-member squad, announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), does not include England’s Test captain Ben Stokes due to injury. However, former captain Joe Root has earned a place in the 50-over squad for the first time since the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Not only for the Champions Trophy, but this squad will also play in India before the tournament, with matches planned in Pakistan and another neutral country. This will be the first major tournament for former New Zealand captain Brendan McCullum as England’s white-ball coach.
Regarding Stokes’ exclusion, the ECB explained: “Ben Stokes, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, was not considered for selection as he is undergoing a rehabilitation process.”
Stokes suffered the injury during the final Test of the New Zealand tour, missing out on batting in the second innings. England lost that match by 423 runs but had already secured the series with wins in the first two Tests.
Former captain Joe Root, who was dropped from the ODI squad after England’s disastrous World Cup campaign, makes a return. England, defending champions in the 2023 World Cup, exited after winning only three of their nine matches, finishing in the group stage. Root scored 276 runs at an average of 30.66 in the tournament.
After not playing a single ODI since 2023, Jos Buttler returns as England’s captain for the 50-over format.
England’s squad for the India tour and ICC Champions Trophy (ODI)
Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Sakib Mehmood, Phil Salt, and Mark Wood.
