England announce ODI, T20I squad vs South Africa; Jofra Archer returns to ODIs

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the ODI and T20I squad against South Africa, slated to begin on September 2 at Headingley. As far as the ODI team is concerned, Jofra Archer has made his return to the squad. He was selected for the Champions Trophy earlier in the year, but due to an injury, he was ruled out of the West Indies series at home.

Even in the recently concluded five-match series against India, Archer featured in only two matches, which raised speculations about whether the team management will play him in the series against South Africa, as the Ashes is just around the corner. However, the Harry Brook-led side backed the experienced seamer for both the white-ball legs.

The Three Lions, in the meantime, have named a relatively fresh bowling attack, in comparison to the players that were picked for the West Indies series. Matthew Potts has been dropped from the ODI squad, while Gus Atkinson has been rested, as the pacer also didn’t play any game in the ongoing Hundred. 

Meanwhile, this will be Brook’s big test as a captain. After taking over the responsibility from Jos Buttler, the youngster has done well in the limited matches that he led, but against South Africa, he is very likely to face the heat. The Proteas, on the other hand, are currently touring Australia and will join England after the ODI leg ends. 

ODI Squad vs South Africa:

Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith

T20 Squad vs South Africa:

Harry Brook, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood