England right to put sentiment aside in World Cup squad selection

Gareth Southgate was ardent in his defence of Harry Maguire during the recent international break, but the England head coach's recent decisions have been questionable and he could learn a thing or two from the country's national cricket selector Luke Wright.

Southgate's latest England squad raised eyebrows as mainstays Maguire and Jordan Henderson kept their places despite one underperforming and the other fleeing for Saudi Arabia rather than staying in the Premier League.

It was a prime example of a coach prioritising sentiment over form and that can often hold a team back.

Fortunately, Wright did the opposite when selecting his England squad for the upcoming One-Day International World Cup, having made the rather bold decision to leave out star opening batsman Jason Roy, a hero in the team who lifted the trophy in 2019.

Roy racked up 443 runs for England en route to the title four years ago, earning him a spot in the team of the tournament, and he will go down as one of the greatest ODI openers in his nation's history.

But part of being a good selector is about knowing when a player's time is up and that seems to be the case with Roy, who could well have turned out for England for the last time.

Wright insisted the primary reason for leaving out Roy was the player's injury, with back spasms having kept the opener out of the recent series with New Zealand and cast his World Cup involvement into doubt.

But even a fully-fit Roy might have struggled to squeeze his way into the team and, simply put, it was a case of three not going into two.

Anyone who has watched England's ODI side this year will know Dawid Malan had to be in the team following excellent showings against South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Having struck ODI centuries against South Africa and Bangladesh in February and March this year, Malan silenced his critics and cemented his place in the team with scores of 54, 96 and 127 in the September series with the Black Caps.

That gives Wright no option but to partner Malan with Jonny Bairstow at the top of the order, leaving no place in the line-up for Roy, who has operated as an opener in all 116 of his ODI appearances for England.

Harry Brook was consequently called up and Roy demoted to a batting reserve at the top of the order for the defending champions.

Roy's omission will have surprised a few and others may consider it harsh, but it makes complete sense.

Brook's ODI numbers are hardly blistering – an 80 against South Africa in January was the only time he scored more than 25 runs for his country in the format. But he is a far more versatile player, capable of slotting in wherever and whenever England need him.

That could be crucial as England find their feet in the conditions of the subcontinent and it has become clear there is no place for Roy in India.

Wright's decision will not have gone down well with everyone, but it should set a precedent that nobody is undroppable and form and versatility should always trump loyalty and reputation.

The bottom line is that if England want to remain at the summit in limited-overs cricket and have the best chance of defending their ODI World Cup title, there is no place for sentiment when it comes to selection.

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