"It's going to be a long summer... it's quite possible that some of the guys that we know are definitely going to be in the team, we give them a rest during that Pakistan series"
Monday 11 March 2019 00:29, UK
Head coach Trevor Bayliss has suggested that England may rest some of their star names for the one-day series against Pakistan in May, giving some of their fringe players another opportunity to stake their claims for a place in the World Cup squad.
England did similarly in the T20 series in the West Indies and were rewarded with a number of fine individual performances as claimed a 3-0 series whitewash.
With Jofra Archer set to come into contention, and not having featured in the ODIs, Chris Jordan and David Willey were among the players to push their case for World Cup inclusion in the three T20Is in the Caribbean and Bayliss admitted they had made the selectors' decisions trickier.
"I think we're getting fairly close to the final 15," he told Sky Sports. "It's going to make our job a little bit hard with some of the performances in this T20 series.
"Obviously, the World Cup is a 50-over competition but we're going to have to have a good hard, long chat about that World Cup squad. We've got a one-dayer against Ireland and then five against Pakistan before we have to finalise that squad so there are some important games coming up.
"April 23 we've got to a 15 but we can change it right up until the May 22 so that Pakistan series will play a part, I think, in our final decision."
Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali were rested for the T20Is against the Windies and Bayliss implied that more big names could be left on the sidelines during the Pakistan games with Archer potentially among those who could come in.
"That's a possibility, some of these guys (who played in the T20 series) might be the same," he said.
"It's going to be a long summer, there are going to be a lot of games before the World Cup, a lot of games during the World Cup and then the Ashes. So it's quite possible that some of the guys that we know are definitely going to be in the team, we give them a rest during that Pakistan series as well."
Bayliss also paid tribute to departing assistant coach Paul Farbrace. The tour of the Caribbean was his last before leaving to take over as sport director at Warwickshire.
"Personally, he is a good mate and we get on well," Bayliss added. "From the cricket side of things, his role and what he's done for England cricket over the last five years has been fantastic.
"From my point of view, coming to England and not really knowing the players or the county system or set up, he's been a great help for him. I think the team will miss him but he's not going too far away and I'm sure we'll see his happy, smiling face a lot more yet!
"He's been a big part of the success we've had over the past four or five years in white-ball cricket.
"It's his passion for England and for the game as well, he's always got a comment, he's always got questions to be asked and is always challenging not only the players but myself and the others coaches as well. That's something that is hard to find."
Watch the World Cup live on Sky Sports Cricket from May 30 - the tournament starts with England against South Africa at The Oval.
