Chris Woakes, David Willey return to England T20I squad for Sri Lanka series

Chris Woakes. Pic/AFP

Chris Woakes, David Willey, and Liam Dawson made their return to England side as head coach Chris Silverwood on Saturday named a 16-player squad for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka and England are slated to lock horns in three T20Is and three ODIs, beginning June 23.

Woakes returns to the squad for the first time since 2015. His last international cap in this format came in November 2015 against Pakistan. On the other hand, Willey last played at this level in May 2019 and will be looking to add to his 28 caps. Dawson, who last played a T20I for England in February 2018 in New Zealand, is one of three specialist spinners named.

Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes (fractured finger), Sussex seamer Jofra Archer (right elbow) and Surrey's Reece Topley (side strain) were not considered for selection due to ongoing injuries.

"With the T20 World Cup only a few months away, this summer is about perfecting our team and continue to progress on the field. We want to approach every series with an influx of players aiming to win every match and giving us the best preparation as we get closer to the tournament," said Silverwood in an official statement.

"With several high-profile players missing through injury, it allows me to look at some of our experienced players who have not featured at this level for some time. The likes of Chris Woakes and David Willey are very experienced cricketers, and to have them both in the mix is exciting and shows the depth of squad we have available," he added.

The England Men's T20I squad will report to its Cardiff base on June 19.

England squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

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