No Pietersen in England World T20 squad

England have named their 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup from next month in India, but Kevin Pietersen's name does not feature.

England have named uncapped Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson in their 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup from next month in India, but there has been no dramatic recall for Kevin Pietersen.

Dawson, who turns 26 next month, has performed well with the England Lions side who recently played Pakistan A in the UAE and will link up later this week with the senior squad in South Africa.

"Liam Dawson has been selected after consistently strong performances for the Lions recently against Pakistan A. As a left-arm spinning allrounder, he will be a very useful addition particularly in sub-continent conditions," selector James Whitaker said on Wednesday in a statement.

Pietersen's form in recent domestic T20 tournaments in South Africa and Australia had led to calls for his return to the side, although these were quickly snuffed out this week by captain Eoin Morgan.

Fast bowler Steven Finn has been selected despite sitting out the limited-overs portion of the South African tour with a side strain.

It means there is no place for the No.1 Test bowler Stuart Broad, who misses his first World T20 tournament.

England have also strengthened their management team with the return of former Sri Lankan batsman Mahela Jayawardene for the first 10 days of the tournament.

Ex-England T20 captain Paul Collingwood will also work alongside Trevor Bayliss, Paul Farbrace and Ottis Gibson for the duration of the cup.

"Mahela and Paul proved very popular additions to the coaching team when they spent time with England in the UAE earlier this winter and I'm delighted that they are both able to help our T20 side," England's director of cricket Andrew Strauss said.

"Their international experience, previous success at World T20 tournaments and, particularly in Mahela's case, knowledge of conditions make them ideal resources to tap into and I have no doubt the players will gain a huge amount from having them around the dressing room."

England open their World T20 campaign against the West Indies on March 16 and will also play South Africa, Sri Lanka and a first-round qualifier from Group B that includes Scotland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

England were world champions in 2010 when they won the tournament staged in the West Indies.

Squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey.


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3 min read
Published 10 February 2016 8:54pm
Updated 10 February 2016 8:58pm
Source: AAP


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