England name Champs Trophy squad

England have named their 15-man squad for June's Champions Trophy on home soil, with seamers Mark Wood and David Willey returning from injury.

The squad, which will also face South Africa prior to the global 50-over tournament, is led by captain Eoin Morgan and features star players Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Johnny Bairstow.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also named a 14-man group to face Ireland in two one-day internationals next month, with Stokes, Buttler and Chris Woakes not considered due to their current Indian Premier League commitments.

Quick Single: All the Champions Trophy squads to date

Middlesex quick Steven Finn and Northamptonshire batsman Ben Duckett will face Ireland but have not been included in the Champions Trophy squad.

Wood returns from an ankle injury after successfully negotiating two four-day county matches for Durham, while Willey has overcome a shoulder problem that saw him miss the ODI series in the West Indies in March.

“We have made encouraging progress over the past 18 months in white ball cricket and the squads selected reflect consistency and give options across all disciplines,“ said national selector James Whitaker.

“It is pleasing that Mark Wood and David Willey have returned to full fitness.

“They add variety and quality to our bowling strengths and David’s ability as an attacking batsman is also an important element for us.

“As we build-up to the ICC Champions Trophy in June, matches against Ireland and South Africa are very important in their own right as we aim to win both series.“

England host the tournament for a record third time having finished runners-up in the last edition in 2013 at home, losing to champions India.

After their horror group-stage exit at the 2015 World Cup in Australia, England, under Morgan’s leadership, have won 23 of 39 ODIs with a scoring rate of 6.26 – the highest by any nation in that time.

Only Australia (25 from 42 matches) and South Africa (25 from 38) have won more 50-over contests than England since the World Cup, and despite their No.5 ODI ranking, England head into the Champions Trophy as one of the tournament’s favourites.

England play Ireland on May 5 & 7 at The Brightside Ground (Bristol) and Lords, respectively, before facing the Proteas three times in six days, starting at The Oval on May 24 before moving to Cardiff and Edgbaston.

ENGLAND SQUAD FOR CHAMPIONS TROPHY AND SOUTH AFRICA SERIES: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

ENGLAND SQUAD FOR IRELAND SERIES: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Ben Duckett, Steve Finn, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Mark Wood

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy squad named so far

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh.

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

Schedule

Warm-up matches

26 May – Australia v Sri Lanka, The Oval

27 May – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Edgbaston

28 May – India v New Zealand, The Oval

29 May – Australia v Pakistan, Edgbaston

30 May – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston

30 May – Bangladesh vs India, The Oval

Tournament

1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (Day)

2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (D)

3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (D)

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)