Liam Dawson gets World Cup nod as Joe Denly and David Willey drop out

Liam Dawson came in from the cold to take his place in England’s World Cup squad, with Joe Denly and David Willey missing the cut.

Dawson, the Hampshire spinner, played the last of his three one-day internationals in October and was not involved in the recent 4-0 series win over Pakistan.

Both Denly and Willey were named in last month’s provisional 15 but both men have seen their tournament dreams dashed.

Willey, meanwhile, has paid for the emergence of the exciting Jofra Archer. The Barbados-born quick was yet to make his debut when the preliminary selection was made but swiftly became a must-pick after acing his early auditions on the international stage.

The third and final alteration from the initial squad became a necessity when Alex Hales was discarded following off-field indiscretions. James Vince was added in as his replacement ahead of the Pakistan series and holds his place.

“We’ve seen Jofra Archer play against Pakistan and we’ve seen the skills he has,” Smith told Sky Sports News.

“It’s pretty straightforward. He’s an outstanding talent, that’s clear to all of us. He has pace, bounce, skill.”

It will have been a crushing blow for the Yorkshire left-armer, a mainstay of England’s limited-overs sides over the last four years.

“I spoke to David, he’s an outstanding man,” Smith added. “He’s very honest, dignified. He’s a very impressive man and cricketer.

“The new-ball area is strong and David Willey was unfortunate. He could easily have been in the World Cup squad, he deserved to be in.

“It was a very difficult situation we were in as a panel. We had more players than we were allowed.”