Ben Stokes in England's provisional squad for ODI World Cup, Brook and Archer miss out
London, Aug 16: England Test skipper Ben Stokes on Wednesday came out of ODI retirement to be included in the provisional squad for the 50-over World Cup while talented batter Harry Brook and tearaway pace bowler Jofra Archer were the notable omissions.
The World Cup will commence in India on October 5.
Stokes, who quit ODIs last year saying playing in all three formats was "unsustainable", has reversed his retirement decision and national selector Luke Wright said the all-rounder's return will add to England's "match-winning ability".
Stokes, 32, will return for next month's four-match ODI series against New Zealand. Wright confirmed that the 15 named for the New Zealand series also formed the provisional World Cup squad.
Wright revealed that the injury-prone Archer would only be included in England's World Cup plans as a travelling reserve.
"The return of Ben Stokes only adds to that quality with his match-winning ability and leadership. I am certain that every fan will enjoy seeing him back in an England ODI shirt again," said Wright in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Gus Atkinson, the 25-year-old right-arm quick, has also been given his maiden international call-up.
Brook, who became the fastest player to compete 1,000 Test runs on a per-ball basis -- he took 1,058 balls to achieve the feat -- has failed to find a place in the provisional squad and Wright said it showed the depth of England cricket.
Brook, 24, had also played a match-winning knock of 75 runs off 93 deliveries in the second innings of the third Ashes Test recently.
"It's incredibly hard on some players that are going to miss out. It shows the strength and depth we have in English cricket and there are other names who are knocking on the door as well," said Wright.
"With the balance of the squad, and with only fifteen that you can name it's incredibly tough."
Teams have time until September 5 to formally submit their provisional World Cup squads to the ICC, and further changes can be made until September 28.
England's provisional World Cup squad: Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
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Hailstorm brings relief to Bengaluru from scorching summer
Bengaluru (PTI): Bringing much relief to the people battered by the scorching summer, heavy rains coupled with hailstorm lashed the city on Wednesday.
The thunderous downpour with stormy wind cooled the city, where the temperature had soared to 37 degree.
With the rains, the city, from being parched, witnessed waterlogging in just two hours.
There was waist-deep water in many areas in the city such as Richmond Town and Shanthinagar resembling a river.
The unexpected rain did not spare Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power, as water gushed inside the government offices from the lobby. The office of the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka was also flooded.
Since the downpour occurred in the evening, many office goers struggled to return home.
Uprooting of trees was reported in many parts of the city, including Malleswaram, Shanthinagar and Seshadripuram.
