Key takeaways from England's squad for 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup

England's T20 World Cup Squad

The tournament in Australia will be the first major challenge for newly-appointed skipper Jos Buttler, as expectations will be high from one of the pre-tournament favourites. Buttler has already stamped his mark, looking to impart his own imprint on a side which was for so long led by the influential former skipper Eoin Morgan.

One major selection call – to drop his opening partner Jason Roy – has already caught everyone by surprise. But there are quite a few other takeaways from the squad named for the showpiece event in Australia, with England hoping to clinch their second T20 World Cup trophy.

Here we take a look at a few of them.

Roy pays the price for a poor summer

It has been a torrid summer of international cricket for Jason Roy, with the explosive opener struggling for runs in both the white-ball formats. In 2022, Roy has only accumulated 206 runs in 11 T20Is, at a meagre average of 18.72 and an under-par strike-rate of 104.4.

He also has only one half-century to his name, a far cry from his previous performances, when he was feared as one of the most devastating openers in world cricket.

England have been quite ruthless in discarding Roy, with options aplenty at the top of the order. Skipper Jos Buttler will take up one of the opening slots where he will be partnered by Phil Salt.

Yet it is a decision which will raise quite a few headlights, as one of the most vital cogs of English white-ball cricket in the past few years, has been dropped ahead of a major tournament.

Elaborating on the decision, England men's team managing director Rob Key said, "We thought who was the best, what was the best opening partnership for the World Cup and we found that it's unfortunate timing as much as anything else."

Veteran pace duo return despite injury concerns

England have also had a difficult time throughout the summer in the pace department, with a rotating unit of fast bowlers taking up the mantle on a series-by-series basis. Three mainstays of the pace unit – Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes – have all been out for a prolonged period, with different injury issues.

England though will now be bolstered by two of them returning to the squad, in the form of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes. While Woakes will provide some much-needed control and swing up front, Wood will bring express pace, something which they have sorely missed in the recent times.

The duo will be backed in the pace department by Sam Curran, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes.

Though almost guaranteed selections while fit and firing, Woakes and Wood's recent lack of cricket as well as match fitness will be a big concern for Buttler and co. The pair last played a T20I during their semi-final loss to New Zealand at the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Their rehab in the build-up to the tournament will be crucial to England, as they look to add some verve and variations in their pace attack.

A bevy of all-rounders

Despite Morgan's retirement, England's policy of packing their side with players who contribute in all three facets of the game has continued under Buttler's leadership.

Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes, David Willey and Liam Livingstone are all players who can make a mark with both the bat and the ball.

While Stokes, Curran and Ali are genuine all-rounders, the rest are also more than capable of contributing to one aspect of the game, while being a specialist in the other.

England will hope that filling their side with all-rounders will give them plenty of depth with the bat, as well as with the ball.

With the squad pencilled in and some big decisions made, England will aim to better their performance from the previous edition of the tournament in 2021, where they fell short in the semis.