The announcement last month that the squad selected for England’s one-day international series against New Zealand would also be the group travelling to India for the World Cup brought a measure of controversy and certainty. Communication at the time was crystal clear, with Luke Wright, the former England and Sussex all-rounder who was appointed as selector last November, saying: “This is the squad we’re going to put forward … Although it isn’t actually locked in officially until 28 September, this is the squad we’re going for.”
On Tuesday Matthew Mott, England’s white-ball coach, was playing a very different tune. He insisted: “We’ve always said it’s a provisional squad,” and that, far from being locked in, those picked for the New Zealand series had simply “got the first crack at it” in the knowledge “that there is someone ready to take their place if they don’t perform”.
