England Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of next year’s Champions Trophy one-day international in Pakistan and the previous white-ball tour of India, the team management announced on Sunday.
The star all-rounder was not considered for either assignment after sustaining a left hamstring injury during England’s defeat to New Zealand in the third Test in Hamilton earlier this month.
Stokes did not bat in the second innings of that match in an attempt to prevent further damage as England slumped to a massive 423-run defeat – a score that meant his side still won the three-match series 2-1.
With England facing a five-match Test series at home against India starting in June ahead of the culmination of the 2025/26 Ashes tour of Australia, the team management has decided not to risk inspirational red-ball skipper Stokes in the Champions Trophy.
But master batsman Joe Root, who preceded his close friend Stokes as Test captain, returns to the ODI squad for the first time since the 2023 World Cup in India.
Fast bowler Mark Wood, who missed the recent Test innings of both Pakistan and New Zealand, due to a bone stress injury in his right elbow, is in both the squads.
The India and Champions Trophy series will mark the first tour and limited-overs tournament in England under coach Brendon McCullum, who was previously in charge of the Test team.
Buttler remains as captain
Jos Buttler has retained the captaincy of both white-ball teams despite England relinquishing their 50-over and T20 world titles since November 2023.
But it is possible that the dashing batsman will not keep wicket, as he did for most of his limited-overs career.
Both the ODI squad for the tour of India and the Champions Trophy, as well as India’s five T20s in January, feature two other Test wicket-keepers in the glove of Jimmy Smith, who missed the New Zealand series to attend the birth of his and Phil Salt’s first child.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old rising star Jacob Bethell, who marked his maiden Test series with three fifties in New Zealand, is included in both squads.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed joins the T20 squad, while Root is selected only for ODI matches.
The tour departs for India on January 17, with the first match of a five-match series against World T20 champions India in Kolkata on January 22.
India and England will next play a three-match ODI series, in the build-up to the Champions Trophy, starting in Nagpur on February 6.
The dates for the Champions Cup matches, which also include Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, have not yet been announced, and the tournament is scheduled to run from February 19 to March 9.
England ODI squad for India tour, Champions Trophy in Pakistan: Jos Buttler (capt/wt), Jofra Archer, Jos Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Jimmy Overton, Jimmy Smith (wt), Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Saqib Mahmood, Phil Salt ( WKT), Mark Wood
England T20 squad for India tour: ( WKT), Mark Wood