Published 16:19 IST, November 4th 2020
Dream11 IPL's England trio Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Jofra Archer not to play SA ODIs
The Dream11 IPL-bound English trio of Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Jofra Archer will not be a part of the 3-match ODI series in South Africa later this month.
The England team is set to travel to South Africa, where they will play six-white ball matches after the completion of Dream11 IPL. The England Cricket Board has recently released squads for the ODI and T20I series, and there has been a major surprise. Superstar all-rounder Ben Stokes, along with speedster Jofra Archer and young Sam Curran, all have been rested for the 50-over series against Proteas.
South Africa vs England 2020: England team set to miss services of their star players
With several England players being a part of the ongoing Dream11 IPL, doubts were raised about their availability for the South Africa tour in November. The difficulty of moving in from one bio-secure environment to another was deemed as the major point of concern with several English players expressing their apprehensions regarding the same. This is why the board has decided to not include the Dream11 IPL-bound trio of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Sam Curran.
Jofra Archer had earlier mentioned how the fast bowler was counting days to go out of the bio-bubble. He went on to add that adhering to such stringent norms of the bubble, makes him feel like a prisoner. England's limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, also is of the opinion that the ongoing situation could cause burnout for the players.
While a certain section of England fans questioned the players' decision of giving their lucrative Dream11 IPL contracts a preference over their national duties, the side's national selector has come out in support for the players. Ed Smith feels that the passion these players have shown on the field for the England team is unparalleled. All-format players, who also play franchise-cricket over the world, will have to be rotated as per Smith considering that a hectic winter awaits them.
South Africa vs England 2020 schedule
England's tour to South Africa kicks off with the 3-match T20 series from November 27. The series is slated to being on the same days as India's tour to Australia. The T20 series will wrap up on December 1 and the teams will move to Cape Town for the ODI series. The tour will conclude on December 9 after grueling limited-over contests between the two stalwarts of international cricket. The team will fly back to England once the T20 series is wrapped up. Here is the complete England squad for the South Africa vs England 2020 series.
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Source: Ben Stokes / Sam Curran / Jofra Archer / Instagram
Updated 16:19 IST, November 4th 2020