Fresh faces aim for ODI MVP success

A relatively inexperienced England limited overs squad will be looking to make an impact on the PCA’s MVP Rankings as the three-match ODI series against Ireland begins at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday.

England will be without World Cup winners Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood who will all be preparing for the upcoming Test series against Pakistan beginning in early August.

Winter 2019/20 ODI MVP Joe Denly is included in the 14-man squad, however, along with the likes of Reece Topley and David Willey who will aim to impress on their return to the squad.

Eoin Morgan will still have plenty of established firepower at his disposal, with all-rounder Moeen Ali confirmed as vice-captain and star opening batsmen Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow set for inclusion in the starting XI.

Three players who finished in the top 10 of the 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup MVP are also likely to feature, with winner Saqib Mahmood set to be joined by Hampshire duo Liam Dawson and James Vince (3rd and 6th respectively).

The latter averaged more MVP points-per-game (17.48) in the One-Day Cup MVP last year than any other player in the competition to have made at least five appearances, thanks in no small part to his 509 tournament runs at 72.71.

Established Somerset duo Lewis Gregory and Tom Banton, who finished 15th and 16th in the same table after a victorious campaign for their side, will also be looking to make an impact on the international stage, but the former will have to wait for his chance as he is included on the reserve list alongside Richard Gleeson and Liam Livingstone.

The MVP Rankings were created by the PCA in conjunction with the players in order to determine the match-winners in any given fixture. On top of traditional batting and bowling averages, bonus points are awarded for key contributions such as scoring a high proportion of your team’s runs, claiming top-order wickets and taking catches in the field.

Four England men’s MVPs will be named at the conclusion of the side’s summer schedule, with one for each of the three main formats as well as a cross-format Overall MVP. Stokes is the current holder of that title after he scored 181 MVP points at an average of 20.15 points-per-game in New Zealand and South Africa during the winter.

As mentioned, Denly is the current holder of the ODI crown – he scored 34.5 MVP points during England’s three-match ODI series against South Africa in February, finishing well clear of Chris Woakes (16 MVP points) in second and Joe Root (15) in third.

Denly inherited the title from Woakes, who claimed a massive 180.45 MVP points during the 2019 summer which included England’s victorious ICC Cricket World Cup campaign.

Full England squad for the three-match ODI series against Ireland: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey. Reserves: Richard Gleeson, Lewis Gregory, Liam Livingstone.

View the England MVP Rankings here.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest MVP news by following the @pcaMVP on Twitter.