Assessing England’s squad ahead of the 2026 World T20

The Harry Brook era as England’s white ball captain got off to the perfect start with a commanding ODI and T20 series whitewash over the West Indies.

A lacklustre period culminating in a dismal Champions Trophy campaign signalled the end of Jos Buttler‘s tenure in charge, with 26-year-old Brook entrusted to lead the transition and rejuvenate an under-performing group.

The 37-run victory in Southampton on Tuesday made it six wins out of six and set out a clear blueprint of the brand of cricket expected under the new limited-overs skipper, albeit against a fairly poor West Indies outfit.

In a year defined by the performances of the Test side against India and Australia, Brook’s first major task will be winning back the World T20 title they relinquished in disappointing fashion last year, with the next instalment hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February 2026.

With 12 T20 internationals scheduled between now and then, including the autumn series against South Africa and Ireland, we assess how the squad is shaping up following the conclusion of Brook’s first series as the permanent captain.

Re-energised Jos Buttler leads box-office batting displays

There was much to admire about England’s batting performances, chasing 197 with nine balls to spare before going on to smash 248 in the third T20 – their highest total at home and second-highest ever.

Contributions came from across the board, including player-of-the-series Buttler, who fell agonisingly short of a first T20 international century on home soil up at Durham when he was dismissed for 96 off 59 balls.

After stepping down as captain, it is hoped Buttler will benefit from being able to focus solely on his batting without the added burden.

He instantly reclaimed the gloves, and looked near back to his best during the recent IPL where he averaged just shy of 60 and registered five half-centuries. 

Ben Duckett is also making a strong case to be England’s most valuable all-format player on current form, with 84 in the final match his highest T20 international score.

Jacob Bethell, 21, continued to demonstrate his burgeoning class on the big stage with a couple of scintillating cameos towards the back end of the innings.

Familiarity and the batting-friendly nature of home conditions will have played into England’s hands, so the challenge will remain to be seen if a line-up stacked with firepower can overcome struggles to adapt accordingly in the sub-continent.

Whilst Brook, Buttler, Duckett and Bethell are locked in, there remains one big decision to be made in the batting line-up…

Jamie Smith v Phil Salt? Or both?

There was a surprise team selection to promote Jamie Smith to the top of the order, an unfamiliar role for the 24-year-old, ahead of more natural openers in the squad such as Tom Banton and Will Jacks.

Smith has cemented his spot as wicketkeeper at number seven in the Test side but his white ball role remains unclear, following a fairly unsuccessful trial at number three in the Champions Trophy, where he only averaged eight in three innings.

Given the responsibility at the top in the absence of Phil Salt, the Surrey man made two rapid half-centuries across both series with an impressive display of brute force which complemented Duckett’s 360-degree stroke play nicely, with the pair putting on 120 inside nine overs during the third T20.

England’s long-running white ball opener Salt, who missed the series on paternity leave, has endured a poor run of form in the one-day format of late and was axed from the 50-over leg.

But he remains one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world and recently secured back-to-back IPL titles with consecutive influential 400+ run campaigns.

It would be a brave decision not to restore the world number four-ranked T20 batter at the first available opportunity which would mean having to find a new position in the order for Smith once more.

The most likely solution would be to drop Smith down to number five in place of Tom Banton, who given the opportunity impressed with an 11-ball 30 to guide England over the line in the second T20 at Bristol but may be forced to settle for a role as the spare batter in the squad.

Liam Dawson answers call to fill void as second spinner

The continued absence of Liam Dawson across England squads over the years has been a highly-contested one, given he has consistently been the leading spinner on the county circuit for Hampshire and was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in April.

England fans finally got their wish as the spinner played his first T20 international in almost three years and made an immediate impact, awarded player-of-the-match in the first T20 for his sensational spell of 4-20, his best international figures and by any England left-arm spinner in the format.

His clever variations outfoxed the West Indies batters and whilst the next two matches did not deliver the same level of success, there was a clear sign as to what England have been missing in their attack alongside Adil Rashid as two frontline spin options, with Dawson’s added ability with the bat not even required.

Leg-spin prospect Jafer Chohan, 22, had been selected in the squad to tour West Indies last year with one eye on a future without Rashid.

But under Brook, 35-year-old Dawson, who was an unused member of the 2019 World Cup-winning squad, may finally be set for the international recognition his career deserves and could play a big role looking ahead to the World T20 in India and Sri Lanka.

Getting the most out of Will Jacks?

Will Jacks was recalled to the England set-up in place of Liam Livingstone as the all-rounder in the middle order to fulfill the finisher role and also provide a useful spin option.

An opener by trade, the ODI series started brightly for the 26-year-old with 39 and a crucial 49 in a match-winning partnership with centurion Joe Root – but such was England’s dominance with the bat, time in the middle during the T20 series was sparse.

His spin bowling was also rarely called upon, completing just four overs across the three T20 matches without taking a wicket, with the return of Liam Dawson to the fold alongside Jacob Bethell’s knack of taking wickets further minimising his need.

Whilst having someone of Jacks’ ball-striking ability at number seven certainly makes England’s batting look very formidable, in truth we have yet to see his exploits in domestic cricket truly replicated on the international stage.

And it may prove that Brook turns to a seam bowling all-rounder such as Sam Curran or Jamie Overton, or potentially a more direct replacement in the form of a Dan Mousley or James Coles, to execute that role in the side.

Who makes up the pace attack?

A major area of concern in recent times has been the consistency of England’s injury-riddled white ball pace bowlers, whether that be taking wickets in the middle overs or stemming the flow of runs at the back end.

Saqib Mahmood impressed during the ODI series with eight wickets in three games, though did not feature during any of the T20 games, in which England opted to select just two seam options.

Brydon Carse has done little wrong since becoming a permanent member of the England squad in all formats last year but his exploits with the white ball have not quite matched what he has produced in the Test arena.

The final over in Southampton cost him 23 runs, albeit the game was done and dusted, ending with figures of 1-63 from his four overs – but importantly he does offer a wicket-taking threat, with an average and strike rate far superior at international level than his domestic record.

Left-arm quick Luke Wood staked his claim as a potentially valuable asset, claiming 2-25 and 3-31 in his two matches on returning from the PSL, taking wickets but also producing a highly respectable economy rate in the context of two scores by the tourists in the region of 200.

Matthew Potts marked his T20 international debut with two wickets on his home ground, though he was expensive in doing so, keen to become more of a regular in the white ball set-up after losing his place in the Test squad against India.

England were without the injured Gus Atkinson, though he was not carded to feature in the T20’s anyway, whilst big-hitting all-rounder Jamie Overton withdrew after suffering a finger injury in the ODI opener.

A fit and firing Jofra Archer would be expected to the lead the attack but he also skipped the series to prioritise his Test comeback and it remains a challenge to plan around his future availability, whilst Sam Curran was not included but has been impressive for Surrey in the T20 Blast and would offer a flexible batting option.

Whilst England look pretty set with their batting in the lead up to the World T20 next year, it would be anticipated there will be plenty of rotation in the bowling department as Brook searches for his best formula.

Spinner Rashid is arguably the only guarantee to start after becoming the fifth leading wicket-taker in men’s T20 history on 135 and subsequently leaping up to second in the ICC rankings.

By Dom Harris

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