England World T20 squad: Liam Dawson in, Chris Woakes out
Last updated on .From the section Cricket
Uncapped all-rounder Liam Dawson has been included in England's squad for the World Twenty20 in India next month, despite head coach Trevor Bayliss never having watched him play.
Seamer Stuart Broad and all-rounder Chris Woakes have been left out but Steven Finn has been selected, despite suffering from a side strain.
Dawson, 25, played with the England Lions over the winter.
"I haven't actually seen him play a game," said Bayliss.
"I went to one or two of the Lions practices and saw him in the nets.
"From a bowling point of view, he gets a bit on the ball and he looks as though he's got something about him personality-wise.
"He can bat as well and he's a good fielder apparently."
Led by captain Eoin Morgan, England's first match will be against the West Indies on 16 March.
They also face South Africa and Sri Lanka in Group One, as well as a first-round qualifier from Scotland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
Pietersen 'not even discussed'
Kevin Pietersen's form in the Australian Big Bash competition, where he scored 323 runs for Melbourne Stars including four half centuries, has not earned him selection despite calls for his inclusion.
"He wasn't even discussed in the selection meeting," said Bayliss.
"We've played very well in Twenty20 cricket over the last six months. We just want to move forward with that young team."
Former Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene will be part of the coaching team for the first 10 days of the tournament, while former England T20 captain Paul Collingwood will work with the team for the duration.
Andrew Strauss, director of England cricket, said: "Their international experience, previous success at World T20 tournaments and, particularly in Mahela's case, knowledge of conditions make them ideal resources to tap into."
| England's World Twenty20 fixtures | |
|---|---|
| 16 March - West Indies | 18 March - South Africa |
| 23 March - Qualifier | 26 March - Sri Lanka |
Who is Liam Dawson?
Hampshire's Dawson is a former England Under-19s captain who has played 105 first-class matches, averaging 34.20 with the bat and taking 110 wickets.
A slow left-arm bowler, he bowled just five overs in last year's T20 Blast competition but featured in five T20 matches for the England Lions against Pakistan A over the winter.
He took four wickets at an average of 25.50 and scored 98 runs.
"I wasn't expecting it," he told BBC Radio Solent.
""I did pretty well for the Lions in the two months I was there with them in the UAE for 50-over cricket and also the T20 series.
"In the back of my mind, I thought potentially I might have a very small, outside chance, but thankfully I've been selected and I'm very excited about it."
Who has been left out?
Broad, the top-ranked Test bowler in the world and a member of England's World Twenty20-winning team in 2010, has been overlooked.
Woakes, part of the T20 side to face Pakistan in the winter, has also been left out, with Finn, Chris Jordan and Reece Topley the preferred pace options.
Batsman James Vince has been chosen ahead of Luke Wright, who has 51 T20 caps, much to Pietersen's bemusement.
Full squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) (capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Reece Topley (Hampshire), James Vince (Hampshire), David Willey (Yorkshire).
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