England have axed all-rounder Ben Stokes along with dumped skipper Alastair Cook from their struggling one-day international squad for the World Cup.
Stokes was one of the few England players to return home from last summer's Ashes tour Down Under with an enhanced reputation but he has been struggling since.
He has only twice topped 30 in 19 ODI innings and paid the price when England named their 15-man squad for the World Cup, which starts in February, and the tri-series with Australia and India which precedes it.
Of the squad that was beaten in the recent seven-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, Stokes misses out along with the out-of-form Cook - earlier replaced as captain by Eoin Morgan - and seamer Harry Gurney.
Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, who has played 12 ODIs, is included as the beneficiary of Cook's sacking.
Gurney makes way as senior pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad return after missed the Sri Lanka series with knee injuries.
Ian Bell, who was expected to miss out if Cook was retained as captain for the World Cup, keeps his place despite playing in only the first two ODIs in Sri Lanka.
England's World Cup squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.
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