SMITH GETS CHOP FOR WORLD CUP

Keeper pays price for Ashes flop

- BY RORY DOLLARD

JAMIE SMITH has been dropped from England's T20 World Cup squad - but the injured Jofra Archer and uncapped quick Josh Tongue have both been included.

Test performances in Australia are hardly the most obvious metric for a short-form tournament taking place in Sri Lanka and India in February, but Smith's dramatic loss of form in the Ashes may be a factor in his omission.

The wicketkeeper-batter smashed 60 from 26 balls in his last T20 appearance against the West Indies in June, but was rested from the series against South Africa and Ireland.

After a difficult series Down Under that has seen him average 19.86 with the bat and struggle at times behind the stumps, he has been left out of the T20 squad entirely.