Ian Poulter & Justin Rose form England World Cup team

Poulter (left) and Rose were partners in the 2008 Ryder Cup

Ian Poulter will partner Justin Rose in the England team at the World Cup in China in November.

Poulter, 35, selected close friend Rose, 31, after higher-ranked players Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey all turned down the event.

The pair were partners in the 2008 Ryder Cup, winning two of their three games together, and at the 2007 World Cup, where they finished fourth.

Ireland will feature US Open heroes Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell.

US Open champion McIlroy, the world number six, and fellow Northern Irishman McDowell, who won the US Open in 2010, came up one stroke adrift in 2009.

Scotland will be made up of Martin Laird and Stephen Gallacher, with Jamie Donaldson and Rhys Davies representing Wales.

The United States go with world number seven Matt Kuchar and the big-hitting Gary Woodland, while Italy will once again comprise the Molinari brothers, Francesco and Edoardo, who won the title two years ago.

China, who qualify as hosts, will be represented by Liang Wen-chong and Zhang Xin-jun at the event which takes place at Mission Hills, Hainan Island, from 24-27 November.

Exempt nations (in ranking order of top player): Germany (Martin Kaymer, Alex Cejka), Ireland (Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell), United States (Matt Kuchar, Gary Woodland), South Africa (Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen), England (Ian Poulter, Justin Rose), Sweden (Robert Karlsson, Alex Noren), Italy (Francesco Molinari, Edoardo Molinari), Spain (Alvaro Quiros, Miguel Angel Jimenez), Scotland (Martin Laird, Stephen Gallacher), Denmark (Anders Hansen, Thomas Bjorn), France (Raphael Jacquelin, Gregory Bourdy), Japan (Yuta Ikeda, Tetsuji Hiratsuka), Australia (Brendan Jones, Richard Green), Belgium (Nicolas Colsaerts, Jerome Theunis), Colombia (Camilo Villegas, Manuel Villegas), Wales (Jamie Donaldson, Rhys Davies), Thailand (Thongchai Jaidee, Kiradech Aphibarnrat), Zimbabwe (Brendon de Jonge, Bruce McDonald)