Kent’s Sam Billings has been named in the 16-man England squad for the Gillette International IT20 series against Australia and New Zealand.

Durham seamer Mark Wood, Kent batsman Sam Billings and Hampshire’s James Vince return to the squad after missing out in the last IT20 against West Indies last September. Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow, who have played in every Ashes Test this winter and are part of the ODI squad against Australia, have been rested for the tournament.

England IT20 Squad:

Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Captain

Sam Billings (Kent)

Jos Buttler (Lancashire)

Tom Curran (Surrey)

Liam Dawson (Hampshire)

Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)

Chris Jordan (Sussex)

Dawid Malan (Middlesex)

Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire)

Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)

Joe Root (Yorkshire)

Jason Roy (Surrey)

Ben Stokes (Durham)

James Vince (Hampshire)

David Willey (Yorkshire)

Mark Wood (Durham)

Ben Stokes is included, though his involvement remains subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments in relation to the incident in Bristol in September. Should the ECB Board receive formal confirmation that Stokes has either been charged or that he will face no charges, they would convene within 48 hours to make a decision on his availability for the team at that stage.

Chairman of Selectors James Whitaker said: “The IT20 Tri-Series will be very competitive against quality opposition in Australia and New Zealand. Our limited overs cricket has been progressing nicely across both formats so this tournament will be another indicator on where we are heading as a team over the long-term. Our aim is to become the best T20 side in the world and a strong performance in this series will give us the chance to progress up the team rankings.

“We felt with that it was important for Dawid Malan and Joe Root, who have had an intense period of Test cricket over the past few months, to play in the series and continue to develop their T20 experience and skills.”

Fixtures:

Prime Ministers XI v England, Friday February 2, Manuka Oval, Canberra (7.15pm Local Time)

Australia v England, Wednesday February 7, Blundstone Arena, Hobart (7.40pm Local Time)

Australia v England, Saturday February 10, MCG, Melbourne (7.20pm Local Time)

New Zealand v England, Tuesday February 13, Westpac Stadium, Wellington (7.00pm Local Time)

New Zealand v England, Sunday February 18, Seddon Park, Hamilton (7.00pm Local Time)

IT20 Final, Wednesday February 21, Eden Park, Auckland (7.00pm Local Time)