England’s attention turns to white-ball as 2027 ODI World Cup comes into focus

England still have one more assignment remaining in their home summer, as they prepare to take on Sri Lanka in a spate of fairly low key white-ball fixtures.

A bilateral series scheduled at the end of September following a long slog of the cricket season may not do much to wet the public’s appetite as it perhaps once would, particularly against a side who have lost 10 of their 15 T20I matches this year.

There will be concerns that another heavily one-sided contest awaits as witnessed in the recent Pakistan Test series which the hosts comprehensively swept 3-0 – two thumping warm-up defeats to the England Lions, albeit factoring in the challenge for a touring side getting up to speed, will have done little to revise those feelings.

Nevertheless, an Aneurin Donald T20I debut still provides plenty of intrigue for viewers even if England do prove to be far too strong.

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Project Ashes and World Cup

It was difficult to truly gauge the whitewash over Pakistan due to the poor standard of the visitors and conditions skewed in favour of the bowlers.

The Test setup faces a crucial period under incoming head coach Stephen Fleming, with a winter tour of World Test champions South Africa for the first time in seven years, followed by an Ashes series next summer which England are aiming to win for the first time since 2015.

In the build-up to that highly-anticipated showdown against the Proteas in three months, the white-ball sides will take centre stage in what is also an important time for the ODI side with roughly 12 months until England head to South Africa again for the ICC World Cup.

Brendon McCullum now has sole focus on the white-ball teams and captain Harry Brook has received the clarity regarding potential Test leadership to continue the progress made since replacing Jos Buttler in early 2025.

The forgotten format

Following the disastrous 2023 World Cup and 2025 Champions Trophy campaigns, where it was clear England had become too reliant upon a generation of players no longer performing at their previous level, the recent trajectory of white-ball fortunes under Brook make for much more encouraging viewing.

More so in T20 cricket, where England currently rank second in the rankings, reached the semi-finals at the World Cup at the start of the year and then thrashed India 4-0 earlier this summer.

But there have also been positive signs in the ODI format, most recently winning away in Sri Lanka and beating a strong India side at home.

The neglected middle child of the game now faces a rare stretch of relevance as preparations begin to ramp up ahead of the 14th edition of the ICC World Cup in Africa next autumn.

Following England’s three matches with Sri Lanka later this month, the two sides meet again in Pakistan at the end of October as part of a throwback tri-series with the hosts.

Then comes three matches on a white-ball tour to Australia throughout November, before a highly-relevant three-match series against tournament co-hosts South Africa in the new year which should provide a strong indicator around England’s prospects.

So where is England’s ODI side at and what will be the key questions over the coming months?

Settled core

Well in truth, there seems to be a fairly settled feel to the core of the squad with a clear identity.

The XI named in the decisive third ODI against India at Lord’s in July would be a good bet for their side to start at the World Cup if all fit and firing; Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Brook, Buttler, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.

In that case, it would then be a case of Tom Banton or Jordan Cox as the spare bat, Rehan Ahmed or Liam Dawson as the reserve all-rounder, and then two back-up seam options in the form of Sonny Baker, Brydon Carse, Saqib Mahmood or Jamie Overton.

A decision around the top order will be near the top of Fleming’s in-tray for the Test side.

Duckett remains under pressure, whilst Emilio Gay may or may not have done enough to retain his place.

Jordan Cox and Dan Lawrence have also provided a selection headache with runs in tough conditions, leaving a task to fit golden boy Bethell back into the side upon his injury return.

One solution is shifting Bethell up to open with Duckett.

In the ODI format, this was England’s latest opening partnership against India. They put on 61, 0 and 192 together in the three-match series.

England need to assess if Duckett and Bethell are a viable opening partnership long-term, with Root, Brook and Buttler looking pretty set behind them, though Bethell will miss the Sri Lanka series through injury which could spark a near identical debate if Banton or Cox (or even Ahmed) take their opportunity.

Bowlers workload

Another similarity with the Test side is managing their pace stocks.

Archer and Tongue have demonstrated a valuable robustness this summer, but along with Atkinson, will be essential for England’s Ashes hopes next year and will then be key performers in The Hundred that follows, making fitness or more serious injury concerns a realistic factor to consider.

Speedster Baker looks to be a permanent fixture in England squads now, but will the exiled Carse return to the fold this winter?

There is also no place for Lancashire duo Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood in the ODI squad to face Sri Lanka (Mahmood is involved in the T20 leg), with the uncapped 24-year-old Sussex seamer Henry Crocombe in the frame for an international debut.

Unlike the Test side, England’s white-ball side do benefit from a world class frontline spinner in the evergreen Rashid, who will be 39 come the World Cup but has given no indication he will call time before then.

In Curran and Jacks, England also possess two strong all-rounders in the middle/lower order to provide valuable balance to the side – Curran may well be a Test cricketer again under Fleming which could impact his availability as well (ideas of a sensational Ben Stokes return will no doubt surface should the Surrey man go down with injury).

White-ball transformation

Curran’s current injury absence from the Sri Lanka series will see England either play an extra batter (both Banton and Cox in the XI), or Ahmed could cover as a bowling option as he hopes to finally get a run in the international side on home conditions – the Leicestershire spinner has been named in the ODI squad, though highly-rated James Coles got the nod for the T20I’s.

They appear to have moved on from Jamie Smith in white-ball cricket for the time being, who was not included in either squad even before the injury he sustained during the third Test.

Of course, a year is a long time in sport. Fitness levels, significant drop-offs in form and outside performers will be key.

The near-zero List A cricket played by leading domestic players makes it a challenge to identify potential options currently outside of the squad.

As ever, England are never too far away from a crisis in any format.

There needs to be more evidence to suggest the ODI side, in particular, has indeed turned a corner which begins with Sri Lanka over the next two weeks.

There are still a few areas to address but England’s white-ball setup appears in a healthy place to navigate the next 12 months as McCullum and Brook (and Kevin Pietersen) set about World Cup glory.

READ MORE: Brendon McCullum reminds England’s white-ball side of ‘responsibilities’