The England and Wales Cricket Board has included right-arm pacer Saqib Mahmood in their squad for the five-match ODI series against Australia. The Lancashire pace bowler will be marking his return to 50 over format. as he has not played an ODI since March 2023.
After being sidelined due to a stress fracture in his back, his recent performance has shown that he’s ready to return to international cricket. He made a successful comeback during the T20 series and also picked 2 wickets for 21 runs in the first match against Southampton.
He had picked eight wickets in 14 ODIs at an impressive innings of 22.85. Mahmood’s inclusion in the England squad will boast the bowling depth as they prepare for the five-match ODI series.
Welcome, Saqi! 👋
We’ve added @SaqMahmood25 to our ODI squad!
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/g4PxLPU4tH
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 17, 2024
Meanwhile, Jos Buttler will miss the series due to a right calf injury he sustained during The Hundred 2024. Harry Brook has been handed the captaincy for the ODI format in the absence of Buttler.
He has been the captain of the U-19 Squad and also captained Yorkshire in the T20 Blast and Northern Superchargers in The Hundred.
England has another setback with Josh Hull been sidelined by a quad injury. Liam Livingstone has been named as the replacement for Hull. he was initially left out of the ODI squad but now returns with a point to prove.
Speaking ahead of the ODI series, Liam Livingstone said, “I’ve shown over the last month that the longer I get to bat, the more I can affect games. I’m looking forward to making an impact.”
The first ODI match of the ODI series will be played on September 19 at Trent Bridge.
England ODI squad to play Australia: Harry Brook (captain), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, John Turner.
