Harry Brook will walk out this September not just as England’s newest white‑ball standard-bearer, but as captain in both formats, at the head of two squads that look fresh, experimental and just a little bit ruthless.
Across six matches against Sri Lanka – three T20Is and three ODIs – England have chosen to stretch their depth. Two uncapped names jump off the team sheet. Aneurin Donald, the Derbyshire dasher who has been bullying domestic attacks all summer, steps straight into the T20I squad. Henry Crocombe, the Sussex seamer whose heavy lengths have impressed selectors over the past few months, joins the ODI group.
Both are clear rewards for form, not reputation. Both signal that places are there to be taken.
Brook in charge, Overton back, Salt out
Brook’s double captaincy confirms what many inside English cricket already know: he is now central to their white‑ball planning. This is his team, in both coloured kits, at least for this series.
Around him, there is a familiar spine. Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson bring pace to both squads, Adil Rashid remains the go-to wrist-spinner, Jos Buttler offers firepower and experience with the bat, and Will Jacks and Ben Duckett provide the modern, multi‑format flexibility England crave.
Jamie Overton’s name appears in both squads as well. That alone is a storyline. The all‑rounder missed the white‑ball series against India earlier in the summer with a thigh injury; now he returns as a genuine point of difference – a tall, hostile quick who hits the ball miles down the order. If his body holds, he gives Brook a rare blend of intimidation and late-order muscle.
Not everyone is fit. Phil Salt, such a key figure at the top of the order in recent months, is sidelined with a right quad injury. Jacob Bethell also remains out, still working back from knee surgery. Their absences open the door for others, not least Tom Banton, Jordan Cox and James Coles in the T20I set-up, and Joe Root’s recall in the ODI squad to steady the middle order.
England T20I squad: Harry Brook (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Liam Dawson, Aneurin Donald, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
England ODI squad: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Sonny Baker, Jos Buttler, Jordan Cox, Henry Crocombe, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Josh Tongue.
The message is unmistakable: England are not just managing workloads; they are auditioning the next wave.
Asalanka steps up for Sri Lanka
Across the dressing-room divide, Sri Lanka arrive with their own reshuffle and a new leader in the shortest format. Charith Asalanka will captain the T20I side after Kusal Mendis was ruled out with a hamstring injury suffered during the Lanka Premier League in July – a blow that already cost Mendis the Test series against India.
Asalanka’s elevation carries a twist. This series marks his return to the T20I set-up after he was dropped for the tour of the West Indies in June. Now he comes back not just as a player, but as captain, asked to marshal a group that blends familiar match-winners with emerging names.
Pavan Rathnayake has been drafted in as Mendis’ replacement, while left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka joins the squad after Binura Fernando’s back injury ended his tour before it began. It shifts the balance of the attack but keeps Sri Lanka’s trademark variety intact.
They still have Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana to squeeze the middle overs, Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara for pace, and a batting order built around Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka.
Sri Lanka T20I squad: Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Tharindu Rathnayake, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga, Nuwan Thushara, Pavan Rathnayake, Dilshan Madushanka.
For Asalanka, this is more than a recall. It is an audition as a long-term leader in a format where Sri Lanka are desperate for continuity.
Six matches, six tests
The tour itself is compact but demanding. The T20I series opens in Southampton on 15 September, moves to Cardiff on 17 September and then to Manchester on 19 September. The white ball then changes colour, but the examination continues: ODIs in Chester-le-Street on 22 September, Leeds on 24 September and The Oval on 27 September.
Different grounds, different conditions, the same question for both sides.
Can England’s new faces seize their chance quickly enough to force their way into longer-term plans? And can Asalanka’s Sri Lanka, shorn of Kusal Mendis but rich in spin and guile, turn a reshuffled tour into a statement of their own?
