England are likely to leave Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson out of their five-match T20I series against Australia later this year to ease the workload of their seam-bowling contingent for the Test tour of South Africa. According to reports, the three pacemen are expected to be rested for the T20I leg, which begins in Melbourne on November 21 and ends in Canberra on December 2, but are expected to play a role in the ODIs, which are scheduled to start in Perth on November 13 and conclude in Hobart on November 18. England’s first Test against South Africa begins in Johannesburg on December 17. Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson Set for T20I Rest This would provide England with an opportunity to blood other fast bowlers such as Sonny Baker, Saqib Mahmood and Jamie Overton in the shortest format while balancing the workload of their seam-bowling resources for the three-match Test series in South Africa, which will also mark the first full series as England Test coach for Stephen Fleming. Their omission for the T20Is would also allow the management to utilise the T20Is as an experiment to gain more experience and to give more players an opportunity to stake their claim for a spot in the T20I team while protecting the crucial bowling resources for the Test matches. Brendon McCullum, who continues to manage England’s limited-overs team, has already noted the need to keep a careful eye on the workload of the key players in the schedule. "Right through the schedule, we will look at what the priorities are and how we can manage the key players and personnel so that English cricket has the best opportunity to succeed in those times." Also Read | Watch: Jofra Archer Dismisses Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Again as England Strike Early in IND vs ENG 4th T20I McCullum Hints at Fresh Opportunities in Australia T20Is Meanwhile, McCullum has also suggested that the T20I matches against Australia can be utilised to give young players an opportunity if the senior fast bowlers require a break ahead of the Test series. "How do we make sure we have got the best players available for that stuff? We will see, probably the fast bowlers in particular given a bit of a freshen up leading into that Test series, so therefore the T20s may be an area where we can introduce some new talent, which will be important for us as well, to keep growing our talent base in that space." He further added: "We will work it out. We will do what we think is right to ensure everyone has the best opportunity to succeed and that will include, at times, having to sit guys out." England’s Australia tour will begin with the three-match ODI series, which will be staged in Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, and will be followed by the five-match T20I series, which will be held in Melbourne, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. With the last of the T20I matches to be played on December 2, which will leave England with barely two weeks to prepare for the Test series in South Africa, the management will need to balance the workload of their seam-bowling resources.