Eoin Morgan coy over Joe Root's place in England's T20 World Cup plans

The Test captain averages 35.72 for his country but there are concerns he does not possess the power needed in the shortened format

Joe Root is not assured of being part of England's T20 World Cup plans next year according to captain Eoin Morgan.

Root averages 35.72 and has a career strike-rate of 126.30 in the shortened format, but there are concerns he does not have the ability to accelerate at the top of the order.

Among a host of established names omitted from the squad due to face New Zealand in a five-match 20-over series starting on Friday, more pressure will be exerted on his place if the likes of Tom Banton and Dawid Malan can fire.

Morgan has refused to give guarantees to any player over their place in the group for the showcase tournament next October and November and believes the next 12 months represent a chance to stake a claim.

"I wouldn't say many are locked in, including myself," he added.

"Twelve months is a long way down the road, we play a lot of T20 cricket between now and then, so I think being quite flexible and trying to build a 15 or 16-man squad is actually more important than the final XI." 

^{Pat Brown is set for his international debut}

Lining up alongside Morgan for the first ODI in Christchurch will be two debutants, Surrey's Sam Curran and Pat Brown of Worcestershire.

Brown helped lead the Rapids to successive Finals Day appearances - including all the way to the title in 2018 - and the England captain believes his variations and knuckleballs make him a real asset.

"For such a young guy leading the attack at Worcester, he's taken that on with great responsibility and great clarity, his skill level is certainly up to scratch," he added.

"Since he's arrived, he's impressed; he's a proper athlete and a modern-day cricketer that can do pretty much everything which is fantastic.

"With his bowling, his variations are his strength so hopefully tomorrow we'll see a bit of them. Facing him in the nets, (knuckleballs) is not that easy to pick."