ECB Media Release: England Name Their 30-man Squad For The ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup – 13/01/2007

ECB Media Release: England Name Their 30-man Squad For The ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup – 13/01/2007 The England selectors today named a 30-man provisional squad for the ICC 2007 Cricket World Cup to be played in the West Indies during March and April. All members of England’s one-day squad currently competing in the Commonwealth Bank Series have been included in the number that will be reduced from 30 to 15 players on February 15. The squad includes four players who are uncapped at One-Day International level including Kent’s Amjad Khan, Lancashire’s Mal Loye, Graham Onions of Durham and Essex’s Ravi Bopara, who was today called up as a replacement for injured England batsman Kevin Pietersen. Seven players that didn’t feature in England’s ICC Champions Trophy squad last autumn have been named in the World Cup squad: Amjad Khan, Paul Nixon, Monty Panesar, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Chris Tremlett and Captain Michael Vaughan. Ian Blackwell, Tim Bresnan and Darren Gough were not considered for the World Cup 30 following fitness assessments at the ECB National Academy. Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney, said: ” Darren Gough, Ian Blackwell and Tim Bresnan were not selected for this squad of 30 because regrettably they have not been able to prove that their fitness will be at a suitable level by February 15 when we announce our final squad. ” We are eager to ensure everyone is given every chance to prove their fitness but we are not prepared to select players for this upcoming World Cup that we anticipate will not reach a satisfactory level of fitness for what will be a gruelling tournament.” Following his withdrawal from the recent Ashes series in Australia, England spin bowler Ashley Giles has been named in the squad after making himself available for selection for the World Cup. ” Things are progressing well with Ashley and he welcomes the opportunity to be included in the squad of 30. He’s now getting back into training which is great news for Ashley and the England cricket team” , Graveney added. On Bopara’s call-up to the England squad for the Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, Graveney said: ” Ravi has been brought in because he is a middle order batsman who impressed in his time with the Academy in Perth earlier in the winter. ” He has also been a regular with Essex during their one-day successes in recent years and we decided that he was the best option available. ” We are happy with the top order of Strauss, Vaughan and Bell and we also see the injury to Kevin Pietersen, while unfortunate, as offering a great chance for Ed Joyce to stake his claim for a place in the ICC World Cup.” England 30-man ICC Cricket World Cup Squad 1. James Anderson (Lancashire) 2. Ian Bell (Warwickshire) 3. Ravi Bopara (Essex) 4. Stuart Broad (Leicestershire)5. Glen Chapple (Lancashire) 6. Rikki Clarke (Surrey) 7. Paul Collingwood (Durham)8. Alastair Cook (Essex) 9. Jamie Dalrymple (Middlesex) 10. Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire) 11. Ashley Giles (Warwickshire) 12. Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire) 13. Ed Joyce (Middlesex) 14. Amjad Khan (Kent) 15. Jon Lewis (Gloucestershire) 16. Mal Loye (Lancashire) 17. Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire) 18. Paul Nixon (Leicestershire) 19. Graham Onions (Durham) 20. Monty Panesar (Northamtonshire) 21. Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire) 22. Liam Plunkett (Durham) 23. Matt Prior (Sussex) 24. Chris Read (Nottinghamshire) 25. Owais Shah (Middlesex) 26. Vikram Solanki (Worcestershire) 27. Andrew Strauss (Middlesex) 28. Chris Tremlett (Hampshire) 29. Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire) 30. Michael Yardy (Sussex)