HALES, PLUNKETT NOT CALLED FOR TRAINING

London, May 29: Alex Hales and World Cup-winner Liam Plunkett were both left out of a mammoth 55man England training group announced Friday.

But 13 uncapped players were selected, as England look to stage a full Test and limited-overs programme against West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia, despite the Coronavirus delaying the start of their home season until at least July.

Among those recalled was David Willey, who lost his place in the one-day squad to Jofra Archer shortly before England won the World Cup for the first time last year. Official squads will be named at a later date, with three Tests against the West Indies, set to be played behind closed doors at biosecure venues, first up for England this season. The group will not train in one place, but with individual sessions across several county venues, that started with bowlers back in the nets last week, the only form of training allowed at present. “It’s really pleasing to be in a position to have players returning to training and a huge amount of work has been done by many to get us this far,” said ECB’s performance director Mo Bobat. — AFP