England have named a 16-man ODI squad for the 18-31 October tri-series in Pakistan, with legspinner Mason Crane back after nearly eight years, Jofra Archer rested, and Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell missing through injury.
ESPNcricinfo reports that England have named a 16-player squad for an ODI tri-series in Pakistan against the hosts and Sri Lanka, running from 18 to 31 October. Harry Brook captains. The headline selection is Mason Crane, the legspinner, who is recalled around eight years after his last England cap, the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in January 2018. He also played two T20Is in 2017. Read the ESPNcricinfo story.
Who is in and who is out
Crane is picked as backup to Adil Rashid and goes ahead of Rehan Ahmed. Rashid returns after a hand injury and Sam Curran after a groin injury. Jofra Archer is rested to manage his workload after a busy summer and is expected back for the white-ball tour of Australia in November. Jos Buttler (hamstring) and Jacob Bethell (knee) miss out through injury. Sussex pair James Coles and Henry Crocombe could make their ODI debuts, and Jordan Cox deputises as wicketkeeper. Tom Banton, who made a century in the final ODI against Sri Lanka, opens with Ben Duckett.
- Batters and keeper: Harry Brook (captain), Tom Banton, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Joe Root
- Seamers: Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
- Spinners: Mason Crane, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid
Baker's reverse-swing homework
Sonny Baker, 23, was named men's young player of the year at the Toyota PCA Awards on Wednesday night, and ESPNcricinfo says he is working on reverse swing and death bowling for Pakistan conditions, with advice from his Hampshire team-mate Kyle Abbott. He made his Test debut in the summer.
Selector and staff
England men's national selector Marcus North called the tri-series "another valuable opportunity for our ODI squad to test themselves against quality opposition in different conditions", and said Crane "thoroughly deserves another opportunity at international level". On the coaching side, David Saker replaces Tim Southee as bowling coach, and Mike Yardy and Carl Hopkinson also join Brendon McCullum's staff for the tour.
| Tri-series facts | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 to 31 October 2026 |
| Opponents | Pakistan and Sri Lanka |
| Rawalpindi | 18, 20 and 22 October |
| Lahore | 25, 27 and 29 October, with the final on 31 October |
| Captain | Harry Brook |
| Recalled | Mason Crane (last cap: Sydney, January 2018) |
| Rested | Jofra Archer |
| Injured | Jos Buttler (hamstring), Jacob Bethell (knee) |
Build a squad of your own
Selectors get to pick a legspinner from eight years ago if they fancy it. In BuildXI you do the picking: spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, take one player from each, and play a full season with the side you draft. The target is 14-0: fourteen league games, fourteen wins.