England recall Morgan, Hales for ODI, T20 series in India; Duckett misses out

Mumbai [India] Dec. 6 (ANI): Limited over skipper Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales have made a comeback to the England side for One-Day International (ODI) and T20 series against India which start next month. Both Morgan and Hales had opted out of England's tour of Bangladesh over security concerns. Wicketkeeper batsman Jos Buttler led the team in that tour, which featured three ODIs and two Tests. England batting mainstay Joe Root, who was rested for the ODI series against Bangladesh, has also returned while Ben Duckett, Steven Finn and James Vince have not been included in either of the squads. "There was a lot of discussion around Duckett," England head coach Trevor Bayliss was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "It was the toughest decision and the one we spoke about the most. He did well in Bangladesh and if we had left someone else out they would have been desperately unlucky as well. We thought that Duckett has done himself no harm. He has shot up the pecking order and he is right there or thereabouts." "At this stage he is more suited to white-ball cricket and he showed he had what it takes in Bangladesh. There were a couple of innings there that were class. He has done well for himself but we thought we would show a bit of solidarity with the team we have had and done so well in last 12-18 months," he added. Duckett, the 22-year-old left-handed batsman, was competing for inclusion in the squad with Jonny Bairstow and Sam Billings. "Billings and Bairstow at this stage are probably the two spare batters," Bayliss said. "We think both are two of our better players of spin. Billings did well with the opportunity he had in Bangladesh and Bairstow has been batting well. Probably over the last couple of years, due to strength of the team we have had, he has not had the opportunities he would have liked. He is a good player, we all know that, and we want to keep him involved." "I have not had the chance to speak to Duckett yet but my message to him will be 'Mate, well done, you have had a fantastic start and see this as the beginnings of a career. Keep going out and scoring runs because you are right there or thereabouts.' This decision was more to do with the experience of the guys we have in the team who have been together for the last 18 months and done well," the England head coach said of Duckett. The 53-year-old also confirmed that Morgan had been involved in the selection of the squad and dismissed the suggestion that his authority as captain had been diminished by his decision to miss the Bangladesh trip. "Morgan not returning as captain was not even discussed," Bayliss said. "It was said earlier that there would not be any recriminations against them and they are straight back in. We have done pretty well over last 18 months and the team we have got has been reasonably stable and successful and there is no reason to change. "I have not sensed that his authority has been eroded at all. There has been no comment about it. He gets on well with all of the guys in the team. He is very highly respected among everyone for the job he has done over the last two years. He captains the team very well. He is a very positive captain and that means a lot to the players in the team," he added. England ODI squad: Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes. England T20 squad: Moeen Ali, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey. (ANI)