England will test the depth of their white-ball reserves as they prepare to announce a depleted squad for their of Bangladesh in March this week.
There has also been a recognition that asking players to forgo franchise opportunities is tricky, particularly for those without central contracts, such as Hales, Billings, Vince and Dawson. The ECB want to avoid the worst-case scenario of forcing a player to choose between clubs and country, and as such are keen to have open dialogue whenever such issues are on the horizon. Such an approach has become all the more necessary given the sheer number of England players taking their short-form trades around the world, with over 60 representatives across the Big Bash League, SA20 and ILT20 in the last month alone.
Discussions with those who have opted out of the Bangladesh tour are understood to have been upfront and honest, even empathetic, with the decisions left to the players. More potential selections could yet take a similar option.
The final squad is likely to have a similar look to the one that toured Pakistan for seven-T20 matches last October, which featured five uncapped players.
