England discard Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali from ODI sides
Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali could have played their last games for England after being dropped in a shake-up of the white-ball set-up.
Matthew Mott was sacked as head coach of the limited-overs side last month after disappointing title defences in the ODI and T20 World Cups and the appetite for change has continued with the removal of two senior men sharing over 400 caps for the forthcoming series against Australia.
Five uncapped players have been called up for Marcus Trescothick’s first assignment as interim coach, with left-arm seamer Josh Hull, all-rounder Jacob Bethell and pace bowler John Turner selected in both formats, while Dan Mousley and Jordan Cox come into the T20 reckoning.
Moeen has been an influential vice-captain to Jos Buttler in recent times but is now 37 and has acknowledged in the past that his international career was winding down. His role as a spin bowling all-rounder will be covered by his Warwickshire teammates Bethell and Mousley.
Bairstow turns 35 next month but there is no such sense that he is ready to bring the curtain down on his England days. He was an integral part of the white-ball revolution that carried the side to World Cup glory in 2019, and scored back-to-back centuries against India and New Zealand in must-win games at that tournament.
He lost his Test spot earlier this summer after winning his 100th cap over the winter but made his desire to continue representing his country clear in an interview with the BBC during the Hundred.
Bairstow bristled when quizzed about his future, telling former Test captain Michael Vaughan: “All I want to do is play for England. End of. You don’t need to ask me that do you? I think you’ve known me for long enough to know that.”
