England announce provisional squad for T20 World Cup as Josh Tongue earns maiden call up

Fast bowler Josh Tongue has been included in England’s provisional 15-man squad for the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February and March.

The Nottinghamshire quick, who won Player of the Match as England ended their Test drought Down Under at the MCG last week, has yet to feature in international white-ball cricket and has only made 10 appearances in the T20 Blast since making his debut in 2017 – though he was the leading wicket-taker in the Hundred for Manchester Originals earlier this year.

Jofra Archer has also been named in the squad, despite being ruled out of the final two Ashes Tests with a left side strain, which means he will not be involved in the preceding tour to Sri Lanka.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith and bowling all-rounder Brydon Carse have both been left out, though the latter will travel for the Sri Lanka tour beginning on January 22 in place of Archer as he continues his rehabilitation.

Tongue and explosive batter Phil Salt will replace Zak Crawley and Joe Root at the conclusion of the three-match ODI leg in the only other changes between the squads.

Harry Brook’s first tournament assignment as white-ball captain begins against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 8.

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Batting roles and bowling depth

A well-rounded squad on paper as to be expected, but certainly some question marks around a side that has not been entirely convincing in the format in recent years and were well-beaten by India in subcontinent conditions nearly twelve months ago.

There is a strong degree of flexibility, but also uncertainty in the batting lineup.

Jos Buttler has likely reclaimed his role alongside Salt as a destructive opening partnership, with vast IPL experience between the pair, which means an out-of-form Ben Duckett may push Jacob Bethell back down the order to take up the anchor role at No.3 as a typically strong performer against spin.

Sam Curran and Will Jacks will likely be entrusted with the finisher positions at No.6 and 7, though both are more suited and would perhaps prefer to be higher up, whilst Tom Banton’s role as a spare batter is a little unclear, as England have tended to use the traditional opener to plug any gap in the middle order.

Much-needed X-factor

With the ball, England look a tad light and much will rely on the availability of Archer to add some much-needed X-factor to the attack.

Left-arm swing bowler Luke Wood will provide the overs up front in the powerplay and Curran’s effective variations will be called upon in the middle overs and at the back end of the innings – though England’s frontline all-rounder has proved an inconsistent figure at international level over recent years.

Tongue will hunt wickets, but as we know can be expensive, and we wait to see what sort of role he takes on in the shortest format, whilst Jamie Overton has yet to truly make his mark when given the opportunity.

Given the expected conditions, Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson will be critical to any England success, whilst Bethell, Jacks and Rehan Ahmed also provide further useful spin options.

Who has missed out?

Smith has been England’s white-ball opener for much of 2025, but has lost his place due to the sheer competition at the top of the order.

The talented 25-year-old has a strike rate of 194 in his five T20 Internationals to date, but may benefit from a short break from the spotlight after a difficult maiden Ashes series.

Jordan Cox is a slight surprise omission as the standout batter in the Hundred and is currently in form with 311 runs in 10 innings in the ILT20, but has lost a head-to-head battle with Banton as the reserve batter, though perhaps would have been a more suitable selection to fill any void in the middle-to-lower order.

Carse may yet still get the opportunity to feature, but has not been reliable enough with the ball in his international limited-overs career so far, though he always remains a wicket-taking threat.

Bowled poorly

Despite leading the bowling charts for England in the Ashes series, the Durham man has bowled poorly for large spells and it is likely the hard-hitting Overton was considered to provide a greater impact in both departments.

Pace bowler Saqib Mahmood is another notable absentee as a potential new ball option, but has not played for the T20 side since taking a triple-wicket maiden against India on January 31 and suffered his latest injury setback ahead of the series against Ireland and New Zealand a few months ago, which denied him a further chance to stake his claim.

Ahmed’s inclusion meant there was also no recall for 32-year-old all-rounder Liam Livingstone, who has been out of the England white-ball setup since the ICC Champions Trophy exit in March but enjoyed a productive domestic summer and has greater familiarity with subcontinent conditions.

Potential XI

1) Salt

2) Buttler

3) Duckett

4) Brook

5) Bethell

6) Curran

7) Jacks

8) Dawson (or Overton depending on conditions)

9) Archer (or Tongue depending on Archer’s fitness)

10) Wood

11) Rashid

12) Banton

13) Ahmed

14) Overton

15) Tongue

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