DOWN AND OUT

Smith loses England place at T20 World Cup after Ashes woes

- 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 the short-form event 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.

He was then rested due to a heavy workload from the following series against South Africa and Ireland. Now, after a difficult series Down Under that has seen him average just 19.85 with the bat and struggle at times behind the stumps, he has been left out entirely.