England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a 14-man squad for the crucial T20I series against Australia and India. The most surprising inclusion in the squad is Joe Root, wh will be playing a T20I for the first time since September 2017.

Root hasn’t been leaving any stone unturned in order to gain more Twenty20 exposure. It is often a format he has been rested from given his commitments as Test captain and the volume of ODI cricket played in the lead-up to next summer’s 50-over World Cup. He hesitantly decided to step away from Trans-Tasman Tri-Series against Australia and New Zealand at the start of the year, despite wanting to further his short-form case ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. However, he did not get picked up.

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Joe’s presence in the T20I squad means his replacement then, Dawid Malan, drops out despite an impressive run of form that saw the Middlesex batsman strike three half-centuries in four innings during the Trans-Tasman series. That stint, coupled with a 78 on debut last summer against South Africa, mean Malan averages 50 in the shortest format with an impressive strike rate of 150.

Durham fast bowler Mark Wood is rested, ahead of the three-match ODI series against India that follows in July. All-rounder Ben Stokes will also be with the squad throughout the series as he continues his rehabilitation from a torn left hamstring. Depending on his progress, Stokes could be added to the squad.

England T20 squad –

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey