Archer back but Lancashire, Surrey and Yorkshire provide 11 of England’s 15 man T20 squad

Defending champions England have named their provisional squad for the T20 World Cup set to take place in the USA and West Indies this June.

Jos Buttler will captain the side but perhaps the most eye catching name is 29-year-old pace bowler Jofra Archer, who has been cleared after a stress fracture in his right elbow that plagued him for more than four years.

England will play four warm-up games against Pakistan next month and the announced squad is the provisional selection for the tournament that starts on 1 June in the West Indies and the United States.

Archer was born in Bridgetown, Barbados and would be delighted to perform there where England face both Scotland and Australia.

England also play Oman and Namibia.

The paceman has appeared in only 14 of England’s 65 T20s over the last four years due to injury and the news will prove to be an enormous boost for England fans.

In an experienced squad, Tom Hartley and Will Jacks are the only players who have not previously played in either the T20 or ODI World Cup.

Only seven of England’s 18 counties are represented in the 15 man squad with Surrey and Lancashire providing four players each.

Yorkshire provide three more meaning just three counties account for 11 of the 15 playing squad.

Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Mark Wood (Durham) and Archer, nominally a Sussex player make up the remainder.

Lecisetershire’s Rehan Ahmed looks to be the most notable omission.

The full squad is:

Jos Buttler (Lancashire, capt), Moeen Ali (Warwickshire), Jofra Archer (Sussex), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Phil Salt (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Surrey), Mark Wood (Durham).

New Zealand were the first team to announce their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears

The Kiwis face Afghanistan, West Indies, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, in a group they should be confident about.

South Africa have selected the following:

Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs

Their group includes Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Nepal and looks to be one of the tricker challanged facing a test playing nation.

[India announce T20 squad]

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