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Andrew Strauss, England’s Test and one-day captain, has been left out of the squad for the ICC World Twenty20 this summer. A preliminary squad of 30 players was named today which will be cut to 15 for the 16-day tournament, which starts on June 5 in England.

“Andrew Strauss had an outstanding tour of the West Indies during a difficult winter,” said Geoff Miller, the England selector. “Andrew and the selectors believe his game is better suited to Test and one-day international cricket and it is for that reason he has not been selected in the preliminary 30-man squad for the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20. Andrew is focused on the Test and ODI format of the game despite not being included in the 30-man Twenty20 squad.”

Strauss, 32, has only played four international Twenty20s for England. He has now been given an opportunity to focus on a busy summer that also includes Test and one-day series against West Indies, the Ashes and a seven-match one-day series against Australia. Strauss’s one-day career looked to be over after he was dumped following England’s calamitous campaign in the Caribbean two years ago, but after being appointed captain he scored a century during the recent ODIs against West Indies. However, the selectors still feel he is not right for cricket’s shortest format.

The preliminary squad includes the offspinner Shaun Udal, who turned 40 last month, as well as Samit Patel, who was recently left out of the Twenty20 and ODI games in the West Indies after failing to “reach acceptable standards of fitness for international cricket”.

It also contains five uncapped players for England – Kent’s Joe Denly, Middlesex’s Eion Morgan, who has played for Ireland, the exciting Essex allrounder Graham Napier, Chris Woakes, who was Warwickshire’s leading wicket-taker last year with 49 scalps, and Adil Rashid, the spinner from Yorkshire who toured with the senior side in the Caribbean.

The Yorkshire allrounder Tim Bresnan, who last played for England in August 2008, has also been included along with Kabir Ali, Liam Plunkett, Chris Tremlett, and Sajid Mahmood, all fast bowlers with international experience.

The England selectors have decided against naming a captain yet as they feel it is more important to review the recent tour of the West Indies. They hope to gain valuable input from the players and support staff. “Once these processes have been achieved the selectors will name England’s Twenty20 captain in due course,” Miller said.

England squad:
Kevin Pietersen, Kabir Ali, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Stephen Davies, Joe Denly, James Foster, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Harmison, Rob Key, Sajid Mahmood, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Shaun Udal, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright.

Source:Cricket News

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