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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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
