England’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, has stated that his team must learn to cope better with their tough international schedule. England’s T20I series against South Africa starts this week without Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith. Duckett, Smith, and Harry Brook have played in all 15 of England’s international matches this summer, as well as in The Hundred. To manage their effort, McCullum has given his ODI openers an extra week off to recoup ahead of a busy winter schedule.
As a result, Duckett and Smith will miss next week’s short visit to Ireland. Their continuous absence from the T20I series comes less than six months before the T20 World Cup. Phil Salt, who missed England’s most recent T20Is due to paternity leave, is anticipated to return to start the batting, most possibly alongside Tom Banton or Will Jacks.
England has a tough schedule this winter, including the Ashes and the T20 World Cup, as well as white-ball tours to New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
Although England managing director Rob Key claimed last year that the pace will ease by expanding McCullum’s job to include white-ball cricket, the calendar shows no signs of slowing.
The crowded nature of the season was underscored after the Hundred final, when England had only one rest day before their ODI series against South Africa, a match in which they were soundly thrashed in Leeds, with no training session together. ECB head Richard Thompson acknowledged the issues presented by the packed fixture calendar, but stated that any revisions are unlikely during the current TV rights cycle.
“The scheduling isn’t ideal. That’s just the way it is and it’s not going to change, so we’re going to have to find ways to deal with it… We’re just going to have to find ways to be able to hit the ground running a bit quicker than what we did in this one,” said McCullum as quoted by.
“I spoke to [Duckett] and I said, ‘I think you need to freshen up. You’ve played so much cricket and you’re such an influential player for us over the next few months.’ He’ll have a decent break at home, as will Jamie Smith… It gives the other guys opportunities, and it’s exciting, too. If we just rely on 11 players, then we’re not really going to be competitive,” he added.
Sam Curran will play in England’s top six against South Africa after being recalled following impressive performances for Surrey and the Oval Invincibles. Curran had previously been left out of McCullum’s squads, with the head coach stating that he informed the all-rounder in an honest chat that he would need to beat the door down as a batter.
“The message to Sam was that a lot’s come to you quickly and you’ve had a lot of success and a lot of fame, and a lot of things have fallen your way. But, of late, your performance had just tailed off a bit… With us resting both Jamie and Ben, it gives us the opportunity to bring Sam in and he’ll get his chance to bat in the top six,” said McCullum.
England are expected to persist with the spin-heavy approach they trialled against West Indies in June as preparations continue for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Curran is likely to act as their third seamer, while Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks are set to provide spin options alongside Adil Rashid and either Liam Dawson or Rehan Ahmed.
The head coach admitted that balancing the side without a genuine allrounder remains a challenge, but revealed he has already spoken with Harry Brook about ways to tilt the balance slightly by making more use of part-time bowling options. Bethell and Jacks shared the role of England’s fifth bowler in the ODI series, but their combined 10 overs in a narrow defeat at Lord’s proved costly, conceding 112 runs.
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