England Cricket Team 15-Man Squad For T20 World Cup 2022

Five years ago, England took the white-ball cricketing world by storm, adopting an ultra-aggressive attacking approach under the leadership of Eoin Morgan.

Less than five months ago, England was again at the forefront of cricketing innovation, with ‘Bazball’ transforming the landscape of Test cricket. Now, with England sitting second in the T20 rankings and having lost in the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup, can Jos Buttler lead his side to another surge forward in cricket creativity?

Fresh off the back of the Hundred, Dawid Malan and Alex Hales get recalls into the 15-man squad, with Jason Roy dropped and Johnny Bairstow injured. Phil Salt also gets a nod from the selectors, while Harry Brook retains his position, in what is a steady yet refreshed group who travel to Australia in October.

Here is our breakdown of the 15-man England T20 World Cup 2022 squad, with each selection analysed on a position by position basis.

England’s full squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup this October

Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Tymal Mills, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Alex Hales

Batsmen – Absence of Morgan and Bairstow Leaves Questions

With the retirement of Eoin Morgan earlier this year, and freak injury of Johnny Bairstow, England’s specialist batting options are looking a little sparse ahead of their trip to Australia.

Four specialist batsmen have been named by England for the T20 World Cup in October, as follows:

Top order batsman Alex Hales is the veteran of the specialists, earning a recall to the English team after three years in the wildnerness. With 60 T20Is to his name, the 33-year-old will bring firepower as well as a cool head at the top of England’s batting line up. 1644 runs at an average of 31.02 and a strike rate of 136.66 is Hales’ legacy so far, and the Englishman will be eager to push his total beyond 2000 in this tournament.

Also earning a position in England’s batting line up is Dawid Malan, who has previously appeared for his nation 42 times in T20Is. The 35-year-old has amassed 1411 runs at this level, striking at a tidy 138.47 with a top score of 103. However, it is his recent form in the Hundred that will have the selectors licking their lips, with the left-hander scoring at a strike rate of 148.27 for his 358 runs across the tournament.

Rounding out the specialist batsmen for England are Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook. 23-year-old Brook has been solid without impressing across his four T20Is so far, having debuted in January of this year against the West Indies. However, the last World Cup Brook attended—the Under-19 World Cup—saw the teenager come away top run scorer with 239 runs and a century.

Livingstone, on the other hand, has a few more years under his belt, and with 23 T20Is for England, will be looking for a consistent performance to solidify his place in the side. The 29-year-old strikes at 152.07 in T20Is, and despite only scoring 368 runs in total, has a century to his name.

Overall stats for England Players in T20Is - Batsmen

T20I stats for England players in Australia - Batsmen

All Rounders – Talent Galore With Bat and Ball

With two batting and three bowling all-rounders making up a third of England’s squad, options abound in the middle of the order.

Here are the five all-round options England has selected for the 2022 T20 World Cup:

England boasts a talented and experienced pack of all-rounders, with multiple excellent players competing for limited positions.

Ben Stokes epitomises the English all-rounder—a fiery batting that contributes well with the ball too. Surprisingly, Stokes has only appeared for England 34 times in T20Is, despite having the better part of 100 caps in Tests and ODIs. However, the star’s ability is well known—hard hitting under pressure at a strike rate of 130+, and a knack of taking wickets when it matters. Expect Stokes to stand up tall for England here, as he has in previous big tournaments as the Test captain continues to go from strength to strength.

Moeen Ali is another ultra-talented all-rounder, with a strike rate of 144.61 across 44 T20Is. The 35-year-old is incredibly versatile, able to open the batting, or come in ready to hit from ball one at the death. He has 791 T20I runs, to go with his 910 IPL runs and 2000+ Test and ODI runs. He’s no slouch with the ball either, taking 39 wickets in his 55 matches with top figures of 3/24.

The remainder of England’s all-rounders, Sam Curran, David Wiley and Chris Woakes are all bowling all-rounders. Willey has the most experience, with 43 wickets from his 35 T20Is at an economy of 8.1, as well as 215 runs at a strike rate of 134.38. Curran brings firepower at the death, striking at 140+ across T20Is and the IPL, while he knows how to take wickets with 79 to his name across all three formats. Woakes also brings a depth of experience across the formats, with over 1000 runs in Tests and ODIs, and 200 wickets across the three.

Overall stats for England Players in T20Is - All-Rounders

T20I stats for England players in Australia - All-Rounders

Wicketkeepers – Captain Fantastic Looks to Regain Form

With Johnny Bairstow out injured and no longer an option to cover Buttler behind the stumps, England has been forced to innovate.

Two players provide wicket keeping options for England this T20 World Cup:

In the first half of the 2022 IPL, Jos Buttler was virtually unstoppable. Since then, the wicketkeeper has seen a slight dip in form, with perhaps the duties of captaincy interfering with his natural game. English fans will be hoping he sees a return to form in this year’s World Cup, however, as the 32-year-old is breathtaking to watch when he’s hitting the ball cleanly. 2227 T20I runs and 2831 IPL runs, all at strike rates above 142, demonstrate the man’s hitting power. Add in his six centuries and 30 half-centuries across the two, and Buttler is the kind of freak talent that can single-handedly win matches.

Chances are, Philip Salt will spend a fair bit of time running water out to the middle, rather than scoring runs. With Buttler the captain and best batsman when he’s in form, it’s hard to see 26-year-old Philip Salt getting many more caps to add to his four earnt this year.

Overall stats for England Players in T20Is - Wicket Keepers

T20I stats for England players in Australia - Wicket Keepers

Bowlers – Star Power Missing in Pace Attack

Given the depth of all-rounder talent England possesses, only four specialist bowlers are needed.

England’s four specialist bowling options for the 2022 T20 World Cup are as follows:

While such light bowler numbers mean an English side that will bat deep, one can’t shake the feeling that it feels like England is missing a star pace bowler. New Zealand has Boult, India has Bumrah, Australia has Starc, England has… Jordan? Wood? Mills? None of these men jump out as the kind of bowlers that will light a team on fire at the World Cup, the way that Jofra Archer would if he was fit.

However, Jordan and Wood both have very respectable T20I records. With 90 wickets from 81 games for Jordan, and 26 wickets from 19 for Wood, both are wicket takers. The less experienced However, the issue is economy rate, with none of England’s pacers giving away less than 8.3 runs per over. It’s just as well England’s batting line up is deep, because chances are they’ll need it unless Jordan, Wood and Mills find a way to be more miserly in Australia.

Adil Rashid completes England’s bowlers, as a strong specialist spin option. His economy rate is slightly better at 7.35, and with figures of 4/2, can hit teams hard in the middle overs. 83 wickets from 76 games at an average of 23.23 prove the 34-year-old’s worth.

England’s 15-man squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia: Harry Brock, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Jos Buttler (captain), Philip Salt, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood.

Overall stats for England Players in T20Is - Bowlers

T20I stats for England players in Australia - Bowlers

Check T20 World Cup 2022 Squads For Other Teams