England are set to name their squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup in the coming days. Here’s a look at the likely 15 they could name for the tournament, set to take place in India and Sri Lanka.
As England’s Ashes tour rumbles on, the next global tournament moves closer and closer. It is just over a month until the 20-team event kicks off, and just over two until the next champion is crowned. India currently have the crown, and recently named their squad for a competition they will co-host. England are expected to join them in naming their travelling group in the coming days.
While England’s form in ODI cricket has nosedived since winning the 2019 World Cup, to the extent that they now sit eighth in the ICC rankings and are in danger of not qualifying automatically for the 2027 event, they have remained steady in T20Is. They have reached the last four of each of the last three T20 World Cups, including winning the event in 2022, and are third in the ICC’s T20I team rankings. They have lost one series in seven since the last T20 World Cup, with the defeat coming to a dominant India side in India, and in September became the first team to cross 300 in a Full Member T20I.
That solidity is reflected in a continuity of selection, rectifying criticism over how often they field a full-strength team in white-ball cricket. Since the start of last year, 16 players have played five or more T20Is for England, and it’s possible their T20 World Cup squad is drawn entirely from this group. If it were, with Liam Livingstone ousted from England’s plans since a disappointing 2024/25 winter, then the squad would be as below:
Predicted: England’s 2026 T20 World Cup squad
Batters
Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Ben Duckett
Wicketkeepers
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith
All-rounders
Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton
Seamers
Luke Wood, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
Spinners
Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
England’s T20 World Cup selection questions
There are a few tweaks England could make to the above group. Those involved in the Ashes will be assessed for their readiness to go again in another high-scrutiny event. Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have both missed England games to refresh themselves in recent times, and each have come under the glare in Australia. Both are on the fringes of the first-choice team and England may reason that it’s preferable to leave them out altogether rather than have them run drinks at the end of a taxing winter. Essex’s Jordan Cox, or another bowling option, perhaps leg-spinning all-rounder Rehan Ahmed, would be the most likely to benefit.
Aside from them, it’s the pace bowling pecking order that is hardest to work out, with selection often dictated by fitness and the need for rotation. The severity of Jofra Archer’s side strain, which ruled him out of the last two Ashes Test, could yet decide whether or not he features in India and Sri Lanka. Even if he is fit to play, England may opt not to risk overworking their premier quick, who has only recently resumed his Test career following a protracted battle with stress-related injuries. Brydon Carse, set to play in a 10th consecutive Test at Sydney, is another to shoulder a heavy workload, and his claim to selection is the weakest of England’s specialist quicks.
Saqib Mahmood, who underwent minor knee surgery at the end of the 2025 summer, is an option to come in, as is Josh Tongue, uncapped but impressive in the Hundred, ending the 2025 competition as its leading wicket-taker. Sonny Baker, one of the breakout stars of the 2025 summer, and Scott Currie, who has played three ODIs for Scotland, have each been in recent in England squads but are further down the list. David Payne played one ODI for England in 2022 and has been one of English domestic white-ball cricket’s best performers since then. Should Wood get injured, he may get a call-up as a like-for-like left-arm seamer.
England are not expected to rope in Test greats Ben Stokes or Joe Root, despite the former’s pivotal role in their 2022 title win or the latter’s resurgent T20 form with bat and ball over the last 12 months. They are also unlikely to dip into the pool of franchise veterans – your James Vinces, your Sam Billingses, your Dawid Malans, your Chris Jordans – all of whom have likely played their last England games. As too has James Anderson, despite making a successful T20 comeback in the 2025 summer.
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