Injury rules England batter out of Bangladesh tour

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Tom Abell was set to make his England debut after being named in both the T20I and ODI squads to face Bangladesh, but has been ruled out of the tour due to a side strain.

Abell, a middle-order batter who captains his county Somerset, picked up the injury when bowling in a match for England Lions against Sri Lanka A this week.

And the severity of the injury means he will return to the UK for recovery rather than traveling on to Bangladesh.

“He has shown over a number of seasons the quality of player he is, and picking up an injury at this time is incredibly frustrating for him,” Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry said.

“We will focus now on ensuring he receives all the appropriate support he needs during a period of rehabilitation through to him returning to play.”

England have opted not to name an official replacement for Abell in the squad, leaving them with just six recognised batters in the ODI squad for the first leg of the tour – Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, James Vince, Moeen Ali and captain Jos Buttler.

But Will Jacks, who is currently with England’s Test squad in New Zealand, could link up with the white-ball squad early should he not be picked for the second Test in Wellington.

ODI Squad:

Jos Buttler (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

T20I Squad:

Jos Buttler (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

1st ODI: Bangladesh v England - March 1, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

2nd ODI: Bangladesh v England – March 3, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

3rd ODI: Bangladesh v England – March 6, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram

1st T20I: Bangladesh v England – March 9, Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chattogram

2nd T20I: Bangladesh v England – March 12, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

3nd T20I: Bangladesh v England – March 14, Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka