Morgan and Hales to return for India tour

Cricket: England recall for ODI captain

Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales’ return to international action will be confirmed when England announce their limitedovers squads to face India tonight.

Captain Morgan and record-breaking opener Hales caused a stir when they opted out of their country’s last one-day international tour of Bangladesh because of security fears after the deadly terror attack on a Dhaka cafe five months ago.

England and Wales Cricket Board director Andrew Strauss responded, before Jos Buttler stepped in to lead the team to a hard-fought 2-1 series victory, by voicing his “disappointment” at Morgan and Hales’ absence.

Strauss has never given any strong indication, however, of anything other than the pair’s likely return to face India in January and February in three one-day internationals and three Twenty20s.

Before last month’s second Test of the ongoing five-match series against India, in fact, he revisited his previous promise that – despite ‘no guarantees’ of future inclusion – Morgan’s Bangladesh opt-out would not be held against him.

Strauss said: “It was a difficult process leading into the Bangladesh tour, and we told the players there wouldn’t be any recriminations for pulling out.

“I stand by what I said, and there is every reason to expect Eoin Morgan will come back in as captain against India.

“He’s done a great job with the one-day team over the last 18 months, and it has been a phenomenal transformation.

“He has to take a lot of credit for that, and we look forward to him continuing that.”

Morgan’s stock has risen and stayed high for his leadership of a team which successfully reinvented itself after an embarrassingly early departure from the 2015 World Cup, also under his captaincy.

Since then, Hales has played a key role in that dramatic improvement at the top of the order alongside Jason Roy – including his all-time national record highest ODI score of 171 in last summer’s 169-run win over Pakistan at Trent Bridge.

Further down the list, it is not so clear-cut for the selectors.

Joe Root, rested for the ODI tour in Bangladesh, is expected to travel this time – as a new father, with the birth of his first child due in the first week of January.

Two remaining places for specialist batsmen appear to lie between Ben Duckett, Sam Billings, Jonny Bairstow and James Vince, while Mark Wood is still unavailable as he recovers from his recurring ankle problem,

Possible England one-day international squad (v India): EJG Morgan (captain), AD Hales, JJ Roy, JE Root, JC Buttler (wkt), BA Stokes, LA Dawson, AU Rashid, DJ Willey, JT Ball, SW Billings, BM Duckett, ST Finn, TK Curran

Eoin Morgan missed the tour of Bangladesh due to security fears.