England on a knife-edge, says Ashley Giles, as ODI squad starts isolation

Ashley Giles has said England have been operating on “a knife-edge” this summer, trying to balance biosecurity with the mental wellbeing of players, after an outbreak of Covid-19 cases forced the entire one-day international squad into isolation and again highlighted the perils facing professional sport at the moment.

In a dramatic sequence of events on Tuesday morning, England announced that three players and four members of the backroom staff from the recent 2-0 series win against Sri Lanka had tested positive for the virus at the team hotel in Bristol the previous evening; a round of PCR tests had been undertaken after two positive lateral flow results earlier that day.

The upshot is that Ben Stokes, who has been on the comeback trail from finger surgery in April and was playing for Durham, will now captain an all-new England team for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan that begins with a day-night game in Cardiff on Thursday, his 18-man squad having been plucked from the current round of county matches and featuring nine uncapped players.

Stokes will be joined by Chris Silverwood, the head coach, who was down to miss the mid-summer block of six ODIs for a family holiday in Norfolk, while a new backroom staff has also been named. The positive cases included symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, making contact tracing a near impossibility given a fortnight of shared spaces.

Last year, England played their home internationals in two biosecure bubbles at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford, staying in the two on-site hotels, and no positive cases occurred. This summer they have been playing around the country, even travelling on public transport between fixtures, albeit chiefly restricted to the team hotels outside of match days and training.

Giles, the managing director of the men’s team, defended the relaxed setup when hotels have been shared with the public given it has still been more restricted than society as a whole; 14 months of operating in biosecure bubbles was affecting player welfare and a balance had to be struck.

“I don’t believe we’ve gambled at all,” said Giles, who said no individual had breached protocols. “We are fully aware of the risks. That is the knife-edge we are working on all the time. As well as looking after our people and keeping them sane as much as anything, we’re protecting the revenues of the whole game. It’s a really difficult balance to strike.”

Durham’s Brydon Carse comes into the England ODI squad. Photograph: MI News/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Unlike England’s decision to withdraw from the South Africa ODI series last December after positive cases in the home camp, Pakistan have agreed to proceed. But the outbreak has prompted fears regarding the five-Test series against India that starts on 4 August. Each Test match is worth around £20m in domestic broadcast money and, though England’s men completed their fixtures last summer, the game still lost £100m in revenue.

Giles said the series is not in peril. India’s players are on holiday in the UK after their World Test Championship final defeat by New Zealand last month and are not due to enter their training environment until 14 July. As with the county players called up by England for the Pakistan ODIs, the hope now is that no more positive cases are brought in from the outside.

Had England’s outbreak been restricted to one or two individuals, Giles fancied the full isolation of the squad may have been avoided through precise contract tracing. The 48-year-old said the entire setup had had at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and the management “won’t sleep easy” until the 18 new players have cleared testing and isolation upon arrival in Cardiff.

While players were allowed to leave the hotel for walks at the start of the recent T20s against Sri Lanka, the protocols were then hardened up during the ODIs as cases in the country started to rise. England’s players had been hoping to live in relative normality come the second half of the summer, although this may be dashed given the financial importance of the India series.

Quick Guide England ODI squad Show

England squad for Pakistan ODIs

Ben Stokes (Durham, captain), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Danny Briggs (Warwickshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), David Payne (Gloucestershire), Phil Salt (Sussex), John Simpson (Middlesex), James Vince (Hampshire).

Coaching staff

Head coach: Chris SilverwoodAssistant coaches: Anthony McGrath (batting), Alan Richardson (pace bowling) Jonathan Trott (batting), Jeetan Patel (spin bowling)S&C: Rob AhmunPhysio: Ben DaviesComms: Matt SomerfordManager: Dr Guy Jackson

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Key to this will be how positive cases are dealt with after 19 July, when the final restrictions in England are lifted. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, announced on Tuesday that from 16 August people who are double-vaccinated will not have to self-isolate if deemed a close contact. That date is the final day of the second India Test at Lord’s, with the England and Wales Cricket Board hoping an exemption for elite sport comes sooner as they hope to get all players double-jabbed.

In the short term, a fresh group of players have a chance to impress Silverwood, who is now the sole selector. John Simpson, the 32-year-old Middlesex wicketkeeper, is one such cricketer to earn a surprise call-up at a time when he may well have believed his international prospects to be over, although Alex Hales was notably overlooked once more.

The Nottinghamshire opener has not featured since a failed recreational drugs test on the eve of the 2019 World Cup. “What we’ve never questioned is Alex’s ability,” said Giles. “The reason he’s absent is different. They’re not things for us to get into now. That’s all I’m going to say on it.”

Quick Guide Nine uncapped players Show

Brydon Carse The 25-year-old Durham fast bowler was born in South Africa but holds a British passport and qualified in 2019. Watched by James Taylor, England’s head scout, at Edgbaston on Monday and has toured previously with the Lions.

Zak Crawley A fixture in the Test side for the past 12 months but battling for his place after his 26 against Pakistan last summer was followed by a string of low scores. In strong form against the white ball, averaging 40 at a strike-rate of 155 in the T20 Blast this year.

Will Jacks The 22-year-old Surrey right-hander has the ability to produce explosive innings against the white ball, chiefly in Twenty20 but with a List A century (121 from 100 balls versus Gloucester in 2018). A more than handy off-break option, too.

Lewis Gregory Capped eight times in Twenty20 cricket, the Somerset all-rounder admits he is yet to do himself justice on the international stage. Offers power hitting at the death and can pick up the slack in the field with his right-arm medium-fast.

Tom Helm The 6ft 4in Middlesex fast bowler has long been on England’s radar through his ability to extract bounce and lateral movement, yet stress fractures to the back have stalled his career to date. Earns his chance, aged 27, after 15 appearances for the Lions.

Dan Lawrence Surprisingly not a regular in 50-over cricket given his array of shots but there have been flashes of his talent witnessed during his seven Test caps to date. Like Crawley, the call-up prevents him from playing any first-class cricket before the India series however.

David Payne The loss of Sam Curran and David Willey leaves the 30-year-old to provide a left-arm seam option in the squad. He has not been on the England radar since his Under-19 days but has taken 110 wickets at 24 in his List A career for Gloucestershire, as well as 125 at 22 in T20.

Phil Salt Born in Wales but raised in Barbados, the Sussex opener has featured in England T20 squads without making his debut. During this time Salt has risen to prominence on the global T20 circuit. Broke a foot earlier in the season but returned in strong form.

John Simpson The 32-year-old has long been vying with Surrey’s Ben Foakes for the crown of best wicketkeeper on the domestic circuit. Likely to be backup to a superior batsman in Ben Duckett but a call-up 12 years into his career is no less heartening.

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A squad for the T20i series that starts at Trent Bridge on 16 July will be named in due course, with the currently isolated first-choice players technically clear by then. It may be that after 10 days of inactivity and a short turnaround time, the fast bowlers cannot be picked for fear of injury.

Another factor will be the effect of yet more time in isolation. Moeen Ali, for example, is undergoing his fifth such stint this year after catching Covid-19 before the Sri Lanka tour and then various periods spent in hotel rooms when travelling in and out of India during the subcontinental winter.

It is why the players have become increasingly anxious about the possibility of families not being able to join them in Australia during the Ashes tour, with multi-format players set for at least four months on the road given the tours of Bangladesh, Pakistan and the T20 World Cup that come first.

England Ben Stokes (Durham, capt), Jake Ball (Notts), Danny Briggs (Warks), Brydon Carse (Durham), Zak Crawley (Kent), Ben Duckett (Notts), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Tom Helm (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Dan Lawrence (Essex), Saqib Mahmood (Lancs), Dawid Malan (Yorks), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matt Parkinson (Lancs), David Payne (Gloucs), Phil Salt (Sussex), John Simpson (Middlesex), James Vince (Hampshire)