Taylor to lead one-day side in ‘fresh start’ for England
JAMES Taylor wants to bring a “fresh start” to England’s one-day cricket after being named captain of an experimental side to take on Ireland.
After the disappointment of the World Cup, a change of direction was always likely for the 50-over squad but that process has been accelerated by circumstances, with none of England’s Test side available for the 8 May fixture in Dublin and regular skipper Eoin Morgan on Indian Premier League duty.
That leaves Taylor in charge of a callow group, including uncapped quintet James Vince, Sam Billings, Zafar Ansari, Lewis Gregory and David Willey.
Taylor has just 17 ODI appearances on his own CV, with Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales sharing 16 caps and Jason Roy playing a single Twenty20 international.
It is as fresh-faced a squad as England have ever sent out for senior international duty with only Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan, recalled after a year out, boasting any significant track record in the format.
The group will be bolstered by further additions from the Test squad currently on tour in the West Indies, with the likes of Adil Rashid, James Tredwell, Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett all in contention to join Bairstow should they not be required for the third Test in Barbados.
Head coach Peter Moores and assistant Paul Farbrace will also be on hand, landing at Gatwick on 7 May and heading directly to Ireland. But Taylor is ready to embrace the winds of change and look to the future. “I see this as an exciting time for England,” he said. “We have to put the World Cup behind us – not ignore it, but learn from what went on, and put it to bed.
“This is a fresh start, it has to be a fresh start. When you think of the guys we’ve got out in the West Indies, to see the quality of the squad we’re taking to Ireland is exciting for English cricket. We’ve got guys with lots of international experience but others who are fairly new on the international stage and have huge talent and potential. It’s exciting for me to be part of that, especially as captain.”
England have often looked to their annual fixture against Ireland or Scotland to blood new faces, with Taylor making his own debut in Dublin four years ago. He would have preferred to have missed out this time due to being on duty in the Caribbean, but is full of pride at being asked to lead the team out.
“Being left out of the West Indies tour was massively disappointing, there’s no point pretending it wasn’t,” he said.
“But to be given the opportunity to lead your country is a huge honour. Obviously the circumstances mean that this is slightly different, with Morgs at the IPL and the other lads in the West Indies. But it was still a huge thrill to hear that I’d been chosen.
“There are still some very experienced and talented cricketers in that team who I’d have been delighted to have as my captain, so it is a privilege and one I’m going to relish.”
Having been criticised for being too pedestrian in recent years, England’s likely top four of Hales, Roy, Taylor and Vince appears an exciting one.
Equally, Northamptonshire’s all-action all-rounder Willey has a big chance to make an impact, with England desperate to find a left-arm seamer to add variety to their attack. Squad: Initial England squad to face Ireland at Dublin on 8 May: J Taylor (capt, Nottinghamshire), Z Ansari (Surrey), J Bairstow (wkt, Yorkshire), S Billings (Kent), T Bresnan (Yorkshire), S Finn (Middlesex), L Gregory (Somerset), A Hales (Nottinghamshire), J Roy (Surrey), J Vince (Hampshire), D Willey (Northamptonshire).