England set to name depleted squad for Bangladesh tour amid franchise cricket schedule; Several players to honor PSL contracts - Reports

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will have to name a depleted squad for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. The unwanted combination of injury concerns and franchise cricket schedule has resulted in a lack of options for England, who are scheduled to tour the subcontinent for three ODIs and three T20Is in March.

The tour was initially slotted in for the October 2021 window, but both the ECB and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) came to an agreement over a postponement.

In-form opening batter Alex Hales is expected to be a huge miss as he is set to partake in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead of making an international commitment. He has expressed an interest in taking a break following the culmination of the ongoing International League T20 (ILT20).

Scheduling conflicts, injuries and franchise commitments will see Jos Buttler lead a depleted England squad for their tour of Bangladesh in March this year

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Players like Sam Billings, Liam Dawson, and James Vince are also slated to follow suit, making them unavailable for the Bangladesh tour. Another candidate in the form of Will Jacks, who has been touted as an opening option on the back of his blistering form in SA20, will also be unavailable as he has been drafted by the Quetta Gladiators as an injury replacement.

With the Test series against New Zealand away from home ending on February 28, several multi-format players will also be absent from the tour. Harry Brook, Joe Root, Olly Stone, and Ben Duckett are some of the names included in the squad for the two-match series against the Kiwis.

It is to be noted that the upcoming edition of the PSL will take place from February 13 to March 19.

Another factor that impacts England's squad strength for the Bangladesh tour is injuries. Fringe players like Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone are still recovering from their respective injuries and are only likely to return to action by the time the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 unfolds.

The ensuing squad is expected to comprise a blend of players ranging from experienced to emerging players and even a couple of new inclusions.

England keen on working together with franchise leagues to provide overseas exposure to players

According to a report by ESPN Cricinfo, the ECB is not alarmed over players choosing to play franchise cricket instead of touring with the national team. ECB director Rob Key is willing to work in tandem with the overseas leagues as it gives the players exposure.

Moreover, the prospect of withholding non-contracted players to play for England instead of the lucrative T20 leagues is also a tricky one to negotiate.

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The report further states that the communication with the players who are skipping the tour for franchise cricket has been clear. This decision has been left up to the players with their decision not impacting their stance within the national team.

England are battling poor form in white ball cricket of late. The world champions have not won a single limited-overs contest since their 2022 T20 World Cup triumph in Australia.

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