Carberry receives England recall

Squads for T20, ODI series against Sri Lanka announced.

LONDON:

Michael Carberry was recalled to limited-overs duty by England on Tuesday after being named in both the Twenty20 (T20) and ODI squads to play Sri Lanka.

England’s 13-man T20 squad will be captained by Eoin Morgan in the absence of the injured Stuart Broad for a lone match against World Twenty20 champions Sri Lanka at The Oval next week. The squad also sees experienced stroke-player Ian Bell return to the format while the big-hitting Michael Lumb has been dropped.

Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Harry Gurney, who made his ODI debut in a rain-marred win against Scotland in Aberdeen last week, and all-rounder Tim Bresnan are in both squads.

Ashes opener Carberry made no secret of his anger at being dropped from the ODI series in Australia, having performed creditably in the same format against the team’s oldest international rivals on home soil.

But with a new look selection panel and coach on board, 33-year-old Hampshire batsman Carberry has been given a chance to revive his white-ball career with England.

Now the management must decide which two from the trio of Carberry, Alex Hales and Bell will open against Sri Lanka.

“Bell has been in and around T20 squad before,” said England national selector James Whitaker. “He has only played a limited number of games but, with his experience, we feel he can offer us some top order presence.”

England have also named a 14-man squad for the first three of five ODIs against Sri Lanka.

Bresnan and Carberry were added to the 13 chosen to face Scotland, with Moeen Ali dropping out.

“We are entering an important period of 50-over cricket with a World Cup less than nine months away,” added Whitaker. “This series against a skilful Sri Lankan side offers a chance to regain some momentum.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.

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