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Rediff.com  » Cricket » England overlook Butcher for Champions Trophy

England overlook Butcher for Champions Trophy

July 12, 2004 17:36 IST
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England have refused to bow to calls for the inclusion of Test batsman Mark Butcher in their provisional 30-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in England in September.

Butcher, who has 69 Test caps but has never played a One-Day International, was tipped for a place in the squad after England's poor one-day form in the recent triangular series with New Zealand and West Indies.

They lost four out of five matches completed and were roundly criticised for choosing "bits and pieces" all rounders ahead of established batsmen and bowlers.

But the selectors have stuck to their initial plans and included all 14 players who featured in the triangular series.

The squad, which will be cut to a final list of 14 by August 10, also includes 10 new faces, including promising young batsman Ian Bell and test bowler Simon Jones.

"Our ultimate goal as selectors is to build a side for the World Cup in 2007 and the make-up of this squad gives a good indication as to the type of team we are looking to develop," chairman of selectors, David Graveney, said in a statement.

"There has been some debate within the media about a possible role for Mark Butcher in our one-day side. Mark previously intimated that he did not want to play both forms of international cricket because he was concerned about the impact on his fitness.

"However, he has recently indicated that he would now like to be considered for our one-day side and as the season progresses we will be watching his performances with interest."

England's provisional 30-man squad for The ICC Champions Trophy, from September 10-25:

Michael Vaughan (captain), Kabir Ali, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Ian Blackwell, Rikki Clarke, Paul Collingwood, Richard Dawson, Andrew Flintoff, Alex Gidman, Ashley Giles, Darren Gough, Stephen Harmison, Geraint Jones (wicketkeeper), Simon Jones, Robert Key, James Kirtley, Jonathan Lewis, Anthony McGrath, Sajid Mahmood, Graham Napier, Michael Powell, Chris Read (wicketkeeper), Vikram Solanki, Andrew Strauss, Chris Tremlett, Marcus Trescothick, Mark Wagh, Alex Wharf.

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Source: REUTERS
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