England have announced a 16-man ODI Squad for their five-match series against Sri Lanka.

Warwickshire fast bowler Olly Stone has been called up to England’s ODI squad for the first time, while Liam Dawson has earned a recall as an extra spin option.

Stone has long been marked out as one of the most exciting young quicks in county cricket, and this call-up, which comes despite him averaging nearly 40 with the ball in List A cricket, shows how highly he is regarded.

He will be part of the squad as cover for Liam Plunkett, who is getting married at that time and will miss the first three matches of the series. Another absentee is David Willey, who is suffering from a back injury.

His absence offers like-for-like replacement Sam Curran the opportunity to add to the sole ODI cap he received against Australia at Old Trafford in June. It also increases the chances of Sam and Tom Curran becoming the first pair of brothers to play in the same England side this century, with Tom also included.

Elsewhere, there’s a recall for left-arm spinner Liam Dawson, who has played just one ODI back in 2016 against Pakistan, in which he took 2-70. He offers England a third – or fourth if you take into account Joe Root – slow bowling option on pitches which are known to take turn.

Aside from that, England line up as expected, with no place in the squad for Worcestershire Rapids’ Finals Day hero Pat Brown, Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, the resurgent Joe Denly, or Hampshire captain James Vince.

The squad will depart for Colombo on September 30, and play two warm-up games before competing in the five-match series.

ANALYSIS

Selection shows Smith can do savvy as well as sexy – Ben Gardner, Wisden staff writer

The only things that come close to a shock in this squad – apart from that it took until he was 33 for someone to put a ring on Liam Plunkett’s rugged finger – are the selections of Olly Stone and Liam Dawson. The former is the one hint of Ed Smith in an otherwise orthodox selection. Stone is undoubtedly one for the future, especially for an England side whose lack of pace was laid bare Down Under over the winter, but it’s remarkable how quickly he’s jumped to the head of the queue, especially considering his relatively modest white-ball record.

And then there’s Liam Dawson, a choice that would look conservative even if it didn’t come from the maverick Smith. He’s been England’s bits’n’pieces understudy for so long that at first it looks like a typo that he’s played just one ODI and nine internationals in total.

It’s not the sexiest, most exciting selection in the world. But then they don’t all need to be, and it’s reassuring to know Smith realises that. Dawson might not play again after this tour with Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson waiting in the wings, but should Moeen Ali or Adil Rashid turn an ankle in a warm-up before a World Cup game and England need a last-minute replacement, I know who I’d want to call.

Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Liam Plunkett (for last two ODIs), Olly Stone, Liam Dawson, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Woakes