Covid-hit England name 9 uncapped players in the ODI squad against Pakistan, Stokes to lead

London, July 6: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday (July 6) named an 18-strong group for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan.

The announcement comes after the news that three members of the initial playing group and four members of the management staff had tested positive for COVID-19, and consequently, the entire squad initially selected was required to isolate.

Ben Stokes will return to the squad to captain the side and Chris Silverwood, who had been due to take some time away during the white-ball series, is back as head coach. In total, there are nine uncapped players in the squad.

Managing Director of England Men's Cricket, Ashley Giles, in an official release, said: "It's a great opportunity to play on the biggest stage, and for most of the players selected it's not necessarily something they would have been expecting 24 hours ago.

"It's an exciting group of players, with some young talent and some players who have impressed at a domestic level over a long period of time.

"We're in unprecedented territory, in terms of replacing an entire squad and management team, and I'm very proud of how everyone has come together in order to get it done -- both those within the ECB and from the county game. Ben hasn't captained our ODI side before so it's a huge honour for him.

"We all wish him well and it's a role I'm sure he'll thrive in. I'd like to also put on record the thanks of the ECB to the PCB for their support and understanding during this time," he added.

England will play Pakistan in three ODIs and as many T20Is. The ODI series will begin on Thursday and the third and final match will be played on July 13.

England Men's ODI Squad: Ben Stokes (Captain), Jake Ball, Danny Briggs, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Lewis Gregory, Tom Helm, Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Matt Parkinson, David Payne, Phil Salt, John Simpson, James Vince.