Ben Stokes rested for T20Is as England name white-ball squads for series against South Africa
England Test captain Ben Stokes won't feature in the upcoming T20I series against South Africa at home, as well as The Hundred competition, which is slated to start next month.
The England Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the same when they named the white-ball squads for the series against the Proteas, which will be played following the conclusion of the India-England series.
An official ECB statement about Stokes' non-inclusion in the T20I team read:
"To manage the workload and fitness of England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes, he will not feature in the Vitality IT20 series and The Hundred competition, which is due to start next month."
Stokes has registered scores of 0 and 21 in the two ODIs against India so far. He was rested for the preceding T20I series.
The white ball series between England and South Africa will get underway with the first ODI at Riverside on Tuesday (July 19) and conclude with the third T20I at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday (July 31).
15 strong ODI squad 🏏
14 strong IT20 squad 🏏
🏴 #ENGvSA 🇿🇦
Durham pace bowler Matthew Potts has earned his maiden call-up to the one-day squad after an impressive start to his Test career. In four Tests so far (three against New Zealand and one against India), the 23-year-old right-arm pacer has claimed 18 wickets at an average of 26.72.
Seasoned leg-spinner Adil Rashid features in both the white ball squads after missing the series against India to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. He was granted permission for the same by the ECB.
Experienced batter Jonny Bairstow has been included in the T20I squad after he was rested for the three-match series against India.
Jos Buttler, who is having a tough time with the bat against India in the ongoing series, will continue to lead both the ODI and T20I squads against South Africa.
England squads for white ball series against South Africa
ODI squad: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey
T20I squad: Jos Buttler (c & wk), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Richard Gleeson, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Willey
All 10 wickets as we wrapped up victory at Lord's ☝ https://t.co/0ozEtjyzM6
Meanwhile, the India-England three-match ODI series is currently level at 1-1. The deciding game will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday (July 17).