Jofra Archer has been included in England’s provisional T20 World Cup squad after sustaining an Ashes-ending injury, while fellow fast bowler Josh Tan has also been selected in the 15-player group for the tournament to be held in India and Sri Lanka in February and March.
Archer injured his left side during the third Test against Australia in Adelaide earlier this month and missed the final two matches in Melbourne and Sydney.
The 30-year-old will also miss January’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka as he continues his recovery, but is fit and expected to return for next month’s T20 World Cup as England seek a third title after 2010 and 2022.
Tan earned his first T20 call-up after performing well in The Ashes. The Nottinghamshire quick took 12 wickets in two Tests in this winter series (including five fours in the recent two-day win at the MCG) and earned his first T20 call-up at The Hundred last summer with a tournament-leading 14 scalps for the Manchester Originals.
Brydon Kearse has been excluded from Tan’s selection process, but will stand in for Archer in the three-match T20 series in Sri Lanka.
England can make changes to their squad up to one week before the T20 World Cup, to be held from February 7 to March 8.
Josh Tan named in England squad for tournaments in India and Sri Lanka
Neither Smith nor Cox will be in the T20 World Cup squad, but Curran will be included.
All-rounder Will Jacks is available after missing New Zealand’s white-ball tour in the autumn with a broken finger, but Ashes teammate Jamie Smith has also not been selected for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, as Zak Crawley returns to the 50-over squad for the first time since December 2023.
Smith, who averaged 8 knocks and 150 for the Ashes under 20, has started the last three T20Is against West Indies in June, hitting 60 off 26 balls in the last match, but England are well-stocked in that department with Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Ben Duckett.
Jamie Smith also absent from T20 World Cup and previous tour of Sri Lanka
Jacks and Tom Bunton are also top options, although the latter has recently found a regular role in the middle order.
Batsman Jordan Cox was The Hundred’s player of the tournament last summer for champions Oval Invincibles, seamers Sonny Baker and Saqib Mahmood missed out on the World Cup, but all-rounder Sam Curran is also included, while Liam Dawson and Rehan Ahmed will also join Adil Rashid and the Jacks in the spin department.
England’s first World Cup match will be against Nepal in Mumbai on February 8th, followed by group matches against West Indies (Mumbai) on February 11th, Bangladesh on February 14th (Kolkata) and Italy, who are playing in the tournament for the first time, on February 16th (Kolkata).
Harry Brook becomes England captain in a global tournament for the first time with T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup will be captain Harry Brook’s first time in charge at a world tournament, having taken over batting duties from Butler following England’s disastrous Champions Trophy defeat earlier this year in which they lost all three of their group stage matches.
England reached the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and America in 2024, but lost to eventual champions India, two years after winning Australia 2022.
Success in the 2026 tournament would ease the pressure on head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director of cricket Rob Key after the recent Ashes series defeat.
Why Sri Lanka ODI is important for England
The Sri Lanka ODI will also be important as England compete for direct qualification to the 2027 50-over World Cup in Africa.
Although the top eight teams in the rankings and co-hosts South Africa have lost 11 of McCullum’s 15 ODIs, England will now go into the tournament in eighth place, ahead of West Indies and Bangladesh, including all three of New Zealand ahead of The Ashes.
Smith was scoreless in his first at-bat against the Black Caps, scoring 13 points and scoring five runs, but his international average for one day dropped to 21.77 points in 19 games.
It looks likely that Duckett and Crawley will carry their Test-opening partnership into the 50-over arena, as the Surrey man has been left out of the squad to face Sri Lanka in this format.
Zak Crawley could get a chance to be England’s opening batsman in 50 overs of cricket
England/Sri Lanka schedule
always UK and Ireland
1st ODI (Thursday 22nd January) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (9am) 2nd ODI (Saturday 24th January) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (9am) 3rd ODI (Tuesday 27th January) – R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (9am) 1st T20 (Friday 30th January) – Palekele, Palekele Cricket Stadium (1.30pm) 2nd T20 (Sunday 1 February) – Palekele, Palekele Cricket Stadium (1.30pm) Third T20 (Tuesday 3 February) – Palekele, Palekele Cricket Stadium (1.30pm)
England T20 World Cup Group Stage Schedule
always UK and Ireland
vs Nepal (Sunday 8 February) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (9.30am) vs West Indies (Wednesday 11 February) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (1.30pm) vs Bangladesh (Saturday 14 February) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata (9.30am) vs Italy (Monday 16 February) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata (9.30am)
