Lumb And Wright Return To England T20 Squad

Lumb And Wright Return To England T20 Squad

Luke Wright was at his destructive best for Sussex during this season's Friends Life t20 tournament.

©Sussex CCC

England have named their squads for the World Twenty20, which begins on 18th September, and for the One-Day International series against South Africa, which begins on 24th August. 

There are no major surprises in either squad, with Kevin Pietersen missing out due to the ongoing fall-out from the text affair and Stuart Broad being rested for the ODI series against South Africa. James Anderson is included in the 50-over squad but not the 20-over one. Luke Wright and Michael Lumb return to help defend the World T20 which they helped win in 2010, despite not having been a part of recent England Twenty20 sides.

National selector Geoff Miller spoke of the rationale behind the main decisions, saying, "Stuart Broad has an important period coming up leading our T20 side and with a three-match series followed closely by the ICC World T20 we feel a two-week break from cricket is in the best interests of both Stuart and the team.

"Kevin Pietersen's future involvement is still being determined and he was therefore not considered for selection in either squad."

Andy Flower, the England team director, said of the ongoing impasse with Pietersen, "It's a sad situation for everyone involved. He played superbly in the last Twenty20 World Cup but the circumstances at the moment mean he can't be selected. There are still issues unresolved and we will be addressing those when we have time.”

Speaking to Sky Sports News, he added, "Let me be clear, this is not just an issue between the captain and Kevin. There are deeper issues, certainly of trust and mutual respect, that need to be addressed. Those issues have to be resolved before there is any way forward."

Lumb and Wright have been picked in the Twenty20 squad following impressive Friends Life t20 campaigns. Wright hit 309 runs at the top of Sussex’s batting order at a strike rate of over 160, while Lumb hit 252 runs from eight matches for Nottinghamshire.

Two men who will be slightly disappointed to have missed out are Gareth Batty and James Tredwell, with the youth of Danny Briggs preferred to them both to fill the second spinner’s berth.

The ODI squad has a place for in-form Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes due to the absence of Stuart Broad, while Ravi Bopara will return to both squads after missing the Test series against South Africa for personal reasons.

ODI squad: Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter (wicket-keeper), Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes.

World T20 squad: Stuart Broad (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Craig Kieswetter (wicket-keeper), Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

© Cricket World 2012