England are set to host West Indies for three ODIs and three T20Is.
On Tuesday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced their squad for the upcoming white-ball series against the West Indies. They are set to host three ODIs and three T20Is, starting from May 29. The series clashes with the IPL 2025 playoffs, but the England board expects full availability of players.
A new era begins for the limited-overs team with Harry Brook taking the captaincy reins. Following the group-stage exit in the Champions Trophy 2025, Jos Buttler stepped down, having endured a tough time during his tenure.
The squads for Harry Brook’s first assignment in charge of England’s white-ball setup have been set 🤩
— ICC (@ICC) May 13, 2025
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We take a look at some key highlights from England’s squad for the West Indies series.
Phil Salt has been in good form for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Despite that, England not including him in the fifty-over squad is a clear sign that they have decided to move on. They gave the explosive opener a long rope, but he could not deliver at the top of the order.
Since 2023, Salt scored 582 runs from 22 ODIs at an abysmal average of 26.45. During this period, he played 30 balls in an innings on only two occasions. His failure to provide good starts was one of the major reasons behind their downfall.
The hard-hitting all-rounder is a handy bowling option, but his performance in his main role left England no option but to drop him. Like Salt, Liam Livingstone was also given a long run to cement his spot, but barring a few moments, he just could not live up to his potential.
Livingstone has been dropped from both ODI and T20I squads, suggesting an end of the road for the all-rounder.
If you look at the squad, there seems to be a strong intent to correct previous mistakes. Having Liam Dawson in the T20I and Tom Hartley in the ODI side are among those moves. Whether it’s the 2023 World Cup in India or the Champions Trophy in Pakistan, not picking a specialist left-arm orthodox spinner for those conditions was inexplicable from the management.
Dawson is one of the best T20 spinners in the world. With the 2026 T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka, Dawson must feature in every T20I. The 26-year-old Hartley doesn’t have much experience in the fifty-over format but has the potential. He was England’s leading wicket-taker in his debut Test series against India in 2024. The next Cricket World Cup is in South Africa, but there’s still a role for left-arm spinners.
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One issue that has continuously plagued England across both white-ball formats is the number seven spot. A lack of reliable all-rounders has meant that they have had to compromise on either batting or bowling strength.
Speaking of the ODI side, Brook will have to get 10 overs out of Will Jacks, Joe Root, and Jacob Bethell, if they want to add a specialist batter at number seven. Jamie Overton hasn’t been effective with bat or ball in recent times, but has played in the subcontinent. For South African conditions, he might be a good asset.
Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, and Brydon Carse could be the frontline pace attack, with Adil Rashid continuing as the primary spinner. As things stand, it seems only one of Jamie Smith, Tom Banton, Hartley, and Overton can get into the playing XI.
One of the reasons for England’s embarrassing results in the previous two fifty-over events was the lack of game time for most of their multi-format players. It played a massive role as they struggled to find the right tempo for ODIs.
The management seems keen to change that, with a near full-strength side for the upcoming series. Mark Wood is the only name missing from the side, owing to an injury. The 2019 world champions would want to play with their first-choice players as much as possible.
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