England name 14-man squad for white-ball series against West Indies; Jos Buttler returns to lead after calf injury setback
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced a common squad for the white-ball tour of the Caribbean, scheduled to take place in the October- November window. Jos Buttler returns to lead the team after missing the entire white-ball series against Australia. He was out due to a calf injury he sustained while preparing for The Hundred 2024 campaign.
The squad will be bolstered by two additional players, to take the overall contingent to 16 candidates by the time the series begins. The ECB will nominate the two players from the squad for the Pakistan tour once the three-match Test series comes to an end.
The already-named 14-man squad also features 22-year-old Jafer Chohan, who receives his maiden call-up. The Sydney Sixers recently drafted the leg-spinner for the 2024-25 Big Bash League (BBL) season. He comes in with quite the reputation after having impressed in the England nets in the past.
Dan Mousley and John Turner are two of the other uncapped players in the touring part. The former was recently handed his maiden call-up for the Australia series after impressing for the Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred 2024. Turner, on the other hand, was on course to make his debut in 2023 against New Zealand, but a last-minute side strain had ruled him out.
The rest of the squad features the regulars including newly crowned No.1 ranked all-rounder Liam Livingstone, No.1 T20I ranked bowler Adil Rashid, along with Jofra Archer, Phil Salt, and Will Jacks.
England squad for white-ball series against West Indies
Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Jafer Chohan, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner
England vs West Indies white-ball series schedule
1st ODI: West Indies v England; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua – Thursday 31 October
2nd ODI: West Indies v England; Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua – Saturday 2 November
3rd ODI: West Indies v England; Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados – Wednesday 6 November
1st T20I: West Indies v England; Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados – Saturday 9 November
2nd T20I: West Indies v England; Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados – Sunday 10 November
3rd T20I: West Indies v England; Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia – Thursday 14 November
4th T20I: West Indies v England; Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia – Saturday 16 November
5th T20I: West Indies v England; Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia – Sunday 17 November
The white-ball tour, particularly the ODI series, comes across as a crucial preparation avenue for England for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
England have had a tough time in the Caribbean across formats of late
Setting aside England's dull 2024 T20 World Cup campaign in the West Indies despite a semi-final finish, they have had poor results in the region for a while.
In ODI cricket, they lost a three-match bilateral series by a 1-2 margin in late 2023 after their ODI World Cup debacle. When it comes to the shortest format, the side have played two five-match T20I series in recent times. They lost 2-3 in 2022 and struggled to yield a 3-2 winning result in 2023.