Commitment not in doubt as trio miss England tour
ED SMITH has defended the decision to give Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran a rest after it was suggested the Indian Premier League had been prioritised over their England duties.
Stokes will return to the international ranks for the Twenty20 portion of the tour of South Africa but he, Archer and Curran will be given a break for the oneday series that follows.
The trio have featured in the rearranged IPL, with Stokes returning to action last month after being granted a period of extended leave to be with his seriously ill father in New Zealand.
Archer spent more time than any England player in a biosecure bubble over the summer, and there were similar measures in place at the IPL in the UAE, while left-armer Curran has had a heavy workload in recent months.
Director of men’s cricket Ashley Giles has stressed players’ mental health will be prioritised amid the pandemic, while limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan has warned of the strain of bouncing around between bubble environments.
That is a chief concern of national selector Smith, who pointed out the England and Wales Cricket Board’s softened stance on the IPL has dovetailed with a resurgence in the national side’s fortunes in white-ball cricket.
‘If you look at the commitment shown to England by those three players – Cur
ran, Archer and Stokes – and their big performances in an England shirt, I don’t think anyone could question their commitment to the cause,’ Smith said.
‘It’s simply the case that the ECB had a stance for a number of years of permitting players to play in IPL.
‘That has coincided with England’s very good form in white-ball cricket, their World Cup success (last year) and also now their very strong T20 side.
‘Clearly multi-format players who also play franchise cricket, so the players we’re talking about – [Jos] Buttler, Stokes, Archer and Curran – are people who need some rest and we, as selectors, are very mindful of that.
‘We’re going to take those opportunities to give them a break when we believe it’s in England’s best interests and that’s what we’re doing for the second leg of this South Africa tour.’
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