Josh Tongue has received a surprise call-up to England’s T20 World Cup squad but Jamie Smith has been axed from both the T20 and ODI squads for their tour of Sri Lanka and the subsequent World Cup.
Jofra Archer has been provisionally included in the 15-man T20 World Cup squad with England hopeful that he will have recovered from the side strain that prematurely ended his Ashes campaign. The Sussex fast bowler flew home from Australia after the third Test in Adelaide and is expected to be out of action for three to six weeks, which places him on a tight schedule to recover in time for the tournament. England’s first match is on February 8.
Smith’s most recent T20 outing had him batter a rapid 60 from 26 balls against West Indies but since then he has endured a difficult Ashes series which has caused his stock to fall. He has averaged only 19.85 with the bat in four Tests and his wicketkeeping has come under scrutiny, and he is not included in either the T20 World Cup squad or the white-ball squads that will travel to Sri Lanka prior to the tournament.
Smith’s stock has fallen amid a poor run of form in Australia
DANIEL POCKETT/GETTY IMAGES
Tongue, however, has impressed during the Ashes in the two Tests he has played in Adelaide and Melbourne, which has earned him his first limited-overs call-up. He does have decent short-form credentials though, having been the top wicket-taker in the previous edition of the Hundred, claiming 14 wickets in six matches and striking every eight balls.
There will only be a very short break for Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett after the Ashes as all four have been named on England’s tour of Sri Lanka — Root for the ODI leg only. This will be the first World Cup under Brook’s captaincy after he took over from Jos Buttler at the start of the summer.
The England Test opener Zak Crawley has earned his first ODI call-up in more than two years and will be part of the squad for the three-match series in Sri Lanka, despite not having played a List A match since December 2023.
The core of the World Cup group is consistent with England’s T20 squad from the summer and includes the spinners Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson and all-rounders Sam Curran and Jamie Overton. The all-rounder Will Jacks has regained his place in both squads after missing out on the tour of New Zealand prior to the Ashes.
There is no place for Jordan Cox, although he is understood to be first reserve should a batsman become injured. The Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood also misses out through injury.
England will face Bangladesh, West Indies, Italy and Nepal in their group and there is increased importance on success in this T20 World Cup, having surrendered the Ashes in 11 days and having lost to India by 68 runs in the semi-final of the most recent tournament.
Brendon McCullum’s position as the head coach is under some scrutiny after the Ashes failure but even if his longer-term future is unclear, he is unlikely to be replaced prior to the tournament given there is only about a month between the end of the Ashes and the start of the World Cup.
England men’s ODI squad — Sri Lanka tour
Harry Brook (Yorkshire, captain), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Warwickshire), Jos Buttler (Lancashire, wicketkeeper), Brydon Carse (Durham), Zak Crawley (Kent), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Luke Wood (Lancashire).
England Men’s IT20 Squad – Sri Lanka Tour & Provisional T20 World Cup
Brook (captain), Ahmed, Jofra Archer (Sussex, T20 World Cup only), Banton, Bethell, Buttler (wicketkeeper), Carse, (Sri Lanka tour only), S Curran, Dawson, Duckett, Jacks, J Overton, Rashid, Phil Salt (Lancashire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), L Wood.
England tour to Sri Lanka
First ODI Thursday January 22, Colombo
Second ODI Saturday January 24, Colombo
Third ODI Tuesday January 27 2026, Colombo
First IT20 Friday January 30, Kandy
Second IT20 Sunday February 1, Kandy
Third IT20 Tuesday February 3, Kandy
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup — Group C
England v Nepal Sunday February 8, Mumbai
England v West Indies Wednesday February 11, Mumbai
Bangladesh v England Saturday February 14, Kolkata
England v Italy Monday February 16, Kolkata