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Bell dropped, Pietersen to open

Ian Bell has been left out of England's one-day and Twenty20 squads to face Pakistan.

Tim Bresnan has been named in both squads subject to fitness tests, while uncapped pair Jos Buttler and Danny Briggs get call-ups. Andy Flower also revealed that Kevin Pietersen will open the batting.

Yorkshire ace Bresnan had to leave this tour of the United Arab Emirates because of post-operative elbow pain before the start of a Test series which ended in a 3-0 defeat for England.

Bresnan, though, returned to Dubai recently and he will now have to prove his fitness first before his place is confirmed.

Out-of-form Bell, who has been capped 108 times, is the most notable omission from the 16-man ODI squad.

James Anderson returns, after being rested for the 5-0 defeat in India in October.

Middle-order batsman Buttler made his international Twenty20 debut last summer against India but is yet to play for England in the 50-over format, and slow left-armer Briggs is uncapped in any format.

Alastair Cook's ODI team will face England Lions on Friday in Abu Dhabi, in preparation for the four-match series against Pakistan.

Stuart Broad will captain a 15-man Twenty20 squad which includes opener Alex Hales for a three-match series against Pakistan here.

National selector Geoff Miller added: "We have selected two squads that include both experienced international players and younger players who have performed strongly for England Lions in recent months and deserve an opportunity to further test themselves against quality opposition.

"Playing against Pakistan in the UAE will be challenging, but it is important that these players continue to develop their skills so that we are able to make strides in limited-overs cricket, particularly on the subcontinent."

Flower confirmed Pietersen will again be promoted to open the innings in 50-over cricket, as he was in the World Cup last year.

"He is going to be opening the batting for us in this series, and that should be really exciting to watch," said Flower.

"We started with him in that position in the World Cup, and unfortunately he got injured and had to go home early. But he showed glimpses of what he could do."

Flower believes Pietersen could prove to be a match-winner at the top of the order.

"He's a very, very fine cricketer - a very dangerous cricketer - and someone we'd like to give the option of facing as many balls as possible in the limited-overs game," he said.

"If he stays in long enough, he will win games for us in that position. It hasn't worked out well for him at number four recently, but I'm really excited to see him embrace the challenge of opening."

England ODI squad: Alastair Cook (Capt.) (Essex), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

England T20 squad: Stuart Broad (Capt.) (Nottinghamshire), James Anderson (Lancashire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Kevin Pietersen (Surrey), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire).

 

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1 comment

Alan Pollard

10:58am on 7/2/2012

The ODI's are the cricket equivelance of the FA Cup. However, it gives a few an opportunity to show their worthiness to play test cricket in the future. I will look forward to seeing how the freshmen cope with the pace of a step up in class during the ODI. It's a good testing ground, though.