Rehan Ahmed gets England ODI opportunity vs Sri Lanka in Adil Rashid’s absence

England will have a glimpse of life without Adil Rashid as his injury opens the door for protege Rehan Ahmed in the series-opening ODI against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

Rashid has been an England banker for more than a decade, winning both white-ball World Cups, but the 38-year-old leg-spinner is set for a scan on what was termed a niggle to his bowling hand.

Suffered while fielding as England sealed a 3-0 T20 series win at Old Trafford on Saturday, Rashid’s enforced absence opens the door for someone he has referred to as his “little brother”.

Ahmed, 16 years younger than Rashid, leading the spin line at the Riverside gives England the chance to test their bench strength ahead of next year’s 50-over World Cup in southern Africa.

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Step up?

Rashid’s reliability means Ahmed has played just nine ODIs since making his debut in March 2023 but England white-ball captain Harry Brook is convinced the youngster can step out of his mentor’s shadow.

“He’s been in the squad for a number of years now,” Brook said.

“He’s always been there or thereabouts and we feel it’s the right time for him to get this opportunity.”

Will Jacks, named as England’s vice-captain for the three-match series, will provide a supplementary spin option for Brook alongside Joe Root, although Jacob Bethell continues to miss out.

Bethell will be replaced at the top of England’s batting order by Tom Banton, recalled in his preferred position for just his second ODI in six years after cementing a spot in the T20 side further down.

“We think he deserves an opportunity,” Brook said.

“I think he’s a very good player. He’s good on the short ball and arguably he’s one of our best players of spin.”

Spin masterclass

England were treated to a spin masterclass from Kevin Pietersen during practice on Monday at the ground where the now white-ball mentor first unveiled the switch hit for which he became renowned.

Pietersen hitting New Zealand’s Scott Styris for six in Durham in 2008 after swapping from a right-handed to a left-handed stance created an enormous buzz and demonstrated his trailblazing abilities.

But Brook revealed Pietersen’s advice during a team huddle was a multi-faceted approach to batting against spin, with the Yorkshireman saying: “A lot of it was about picking the length.

“That’s key to facing spin and being able to rotate strike as well as possible, especially in ODI cricket as that’s an area where we probably need to improve as a side.

“There’s so much power in our squad that we’re good at hitting boundaries already and we just need that touch and little bit of class to be able to rotate strike and boundaries will come.”

England XI to face Sri Lanka

England team to play Sri Lanka in first ODI: Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.

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