Root back in T20 fold for Old Trafford

England have resisted any temptation to experiment in a 14-man squad named to face Pakistan in next week’s one-off NatWest Twenty20 at Old Trafford.

There are returns for firstchoice trio Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Alex Hales – all in action against Pakistan in the Royal London Series but rested for England’s only previous Twenty 20 this summer, the victory over Sri Lanka in July.

Durham pair Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, also already in the squad for the ongoing one-day internationals, are both predictably back, too – having recently recovered from their respective calf and ankle injuries.

But there is no first international call-up yet for young batsman Ben Duckett, as had been mooted in some quarters – while Hampshire’s James Vince and Liam Dawson, along with Dawid Malan and Jonny Bairstow, miss out, too.

England are unbeaten in white-ball cricket this summer, and national selector James Whitaker is hoping to see further evidence of the strides made in Twenty20.

England national team coaches Paul Farbrace and Ottis Gibson will take charge of the opposing teams in next Spring’s inaugural North v South matches in the United Arab Emirates.

Three 50-over matches in mid-March will involve players who have qualified to stake a claim for next summer’s Champions Trophy squads via the Professional Cricketers’ Association MVP rankings.