The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is less than one and a half months away and the current champions, England will look to defend the title this time. England has announced a 15-man preliminary squad for the marquee tournament starting from October 05 in India. Harry Brook, England’s new batting sensation has missed out of the squad. But captain Jos Buttler said the door is still not closed for Harry Brook as he can still make it to the ICC World Cup 2023 squad.
England announced the preliminary squad for WC 2023
Jos Buttler-led side will look to defend their title this time around in WC 2023. Last time in 2019, England won the tournament after beating New Zealand in the final by the barest margin. They won on the boundary count rule after Super Over also finished in a tie.
There are a few changes in the squad with some other faces in the team, as compared to the 2019 WC squad.
Ben Stokes came out of retirement
One of the biggest news is Ben Stokes, the hero of the ICC WC 2019 came back from his ODI retirement. He announced his ODI retirement last year in July 2022.
With his coming back, England’s batting will be more assured. We all know what Stokes can do on the cricket field. He is a man for the big stage. Some reports also suggest that he might play only as a specialist batter. But that is enough for England. And his presence on the field is also very important.
Harry Brook has to miss out
With Ben Stokes coming back to the team, Harry Brook has to miss out on the 15-man squad. The 24-year-old youngster shows his disappointment after being left out of the squad.
“Obviously it’s disappointing, but I can’t do anything about it now, you’ve just got to move on. I’m trying not to think about it anymore,” Brook said after playing for Northern Superchargers in The Hundred at Lord’s.
Brook knows it already
“I’ve not had much conversation with (coach) Matthew or (captain) Jos (Buttler). They said with Stokesy coming back I was probably going to miss out this time. He (Stokes) is one of the best players to ever play cricket, so I can’t really complain, can I?” – Brook added.
Is it the right decision by the ECB?
The rule says that you can only bring 15 players in the squad. And with Stokes coming back, he has to miss out. But we all know what Harry Brook can do with the bat. He has been phenomenal over the last year or so.
Harry Brook has all the shots in his armory and can add value to the team. He hasn’t played much of an ODI cricket, either for Yorkshire or England. But he has played a lot of T20 cricket all over the world and has done well.
If in any possible way, England has to bring him into the team.
Jos Buttler said the doors are still open for Harry Brook
Captain Jos Buttler said the doors are still not closed for Harry Brook for the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He could still make it into the squad.
“There’s still a long time before everyone is meant to get on the plane, so we’ll wait and see what happens. We all know Harry’s a fantastic player and we saw what he could do the other night. It’s not like it’s a surprise: we know what a brilliant player he is, he’s just the unfortunate one at the moment to not be in that squad at the moment,” Buttler was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Buttler also talks about how Stokes coming in changes the dynamics of the team
“Of course, Ben Stokes coming back and being available just as a batter sort of changes the dynamic a little bit,” said Buttler, who is leading Manchester Originals in the Men’s Hundred.
Remember it is a preliminary squad
What England has announced is a preliminary squad. It is not the final squad for the WC 2023. They can still make changes in the team if needed. So the chances are that Harry Brook might make it into the squad as well. Recently, he scored 105 off 42 balls for Northern Superchargers against Welsh Fire in the ongoing Men’s Hundred 2023. He is also a member of England’s 15-man squad for the four-match T20 International series against New Zealand, which begins on August 30.
England Preliminary Squad:
Jos Buttler (Captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Conclusion
England should consider the decision to leave Harry Brook out of the WC squad. Maybe England has one left-arm seamer (out of 3) too many. So Brook could replace them in the squad. Let’s see what happens next.
England and New Zealand will play the WC 2023 opener on October 05 at Ahmedabad.
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