Road to 2026 World Cup begins as big guns assemble for T20I leg

While England's slide in ODI cricket - and West Indies' recent failure to qualify for global tournaments - means there has perhaps been greater scrutiny on the 50-over format, attention is already turning towards another T20 World Cup. The 2026 edition is scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka in February and March, and it will become the focal point teams build towards over the next nine months (notwithstanding the fact that England's new white-ball captain has admitted that the Ashes in Australia is his priority).

Harry Brook saw his tenure begin with a 3-0 sweep in the ODIs, and he will ask a similar group for more of the same when the T20I series begins in Chester-le-Street on Friday evening. The dog days of Jos Buttler's captaincy, which was ultimately finished off by another blowout at the Champions Trophy, included a 4-1 thrashing in India before England moved on to Pakistan - but they have a stronger record in the shortest format, having reached the semi-final of last year's World Cup (where they again came unstuck against India) and beaten West Indies in the Caribbean before Christmas.

With IPL winner Phil Salt missing out on paternity leave, there is a chance to audition for opener. Salt was partnered by Ben Duckett in India, and Will Jacks before that - the latter then left out entirely on the trip to the subcontinent before returning in a new guise at No. 7 in the ODI side - but Tom Banton could come into contention more than three years since his last T20 international appearance, as may Jamie Smith, who scored a 25-ball fifty opening the batting in Tuesday's ODI and has been added as cover for Salt.

Injuries and workload management have deprived Brook of several potential frontline seam-bowling options, with Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton among those unavailable. The most intriguing plotline may be the return to England colours of Liam Dawson, who seemed to have grown tired of 12th-man duties year after year but has a first chance to impress Brendon McCullum. He could fill the allrounder spot vacated by Liam Livingstone, one of the few victims of post-Champions Trophy selection, though with more of an emphasis on his spin bowling than six-hitting prowess.

West Indies, too, have a new man at the helm, with Shai Hope given the captaincy across white-ball formats. He has a tough gig in following Rovman Powell, not least because he wasn't an automatic pick in the T20I XI. Powell was credited with revitalising West Indies after their grave underperformance at the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups - though he couldn't deliver success on home soil last year, as West Indies were pipped by South Africa in the Super Eights. Subsequent home defeats to England and Bangladesh, the latter a 3-0 whitewash, were seemingly the spur for change.

Hope's prospects will be buoyed by reinforcements of a genuinely world-class calibre, despite Nicholas Pooran opting to sit the tour out. Andre Russell is fit to rejoin the squad, while Jason Holder is set to play his first T20I in almost 18 months. Sherfane Rutherford, who top-scored in the third ODI after getting off the plane from India, and newly crowned IPL champion Romario Shepherd add to the proven weapons at West Indies' disposal in a format that has long been considered their strength.

England LLWLL (last five T20Is, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL

This will be Harry Brook's first outing as England T20I captain - while he deputised for the injured Buttler in last year's ODI series against Australia, Salt did the job in T20Is. He has previously won plaudits for his leadership of Northern Superchargers in the Hundred but will still face a learning curve at international level. It will also be Brook's first game in the format since struggling against spin in India, then opting out of the IPL. The challenges will come thick and fast from here.

Andre Russell is an undoubted West Indies legend, but the man they call Dre Russ makes his latest international comeback on the back of a less-than-blockbuster IPL in which he took eight wickets and scored one fifty. Russell, 37, was injured during his last outing in maroon, against England in November, but has previously stated his aim to get to the 2026 World Cup. The fact he played in all 13 games for Kolkata Knight Riders at least bodes well for his fitness.

England could cut their cloth in a number of different ways, with Banton, Jacks and Smith options at opener (though presumably not Buttler, who batted at No. 3 throughout Gujarat Titans' IPL campaign). Smith made his T20I debut at No. 6 in India earlier in the year, and may yet find himself learning the ropes as a finisher alongside Jacks (Mumbai Indians' No. 3); though Dawson's inclusion would provide another bowling option. With Overton out after fracturing his finger in the first ODI, England only have four seamers to rotate through three games in five days. Matthew Potts has not yet been capped in the format, while Luke Wood would be making his first appearance since 2023.

England: (possible) 1 Tom Banton, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Harry Brook (capt), 5 Jacob Bethell, 6 Jamie Smith/Liam Dawson, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Matthew Potts, 11 Saqib Mahmood

First off, Hope will have to decide where he wants to bat. The recent improvements in his T20 record have largely come while opening, but he will have to balance that with being captain and keeper, too (though Pooran could take the gloves when he returns to the fold). West Indies have a plethora of quality all-round options, who seem likely to slot in below the experienced middle-order pair of Powell and Rutherford. Shepherd is fresh off the plane from winning the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Tuesday - he landed in the UK on Thursday and is expected to be available for selection. Akeal Hosein, however, will not take part. He has fallen foul of new UK visa regulations, along with his team-mate Jyd Goolie, and will miss the opening match at least.

West Indies: (possible) 1 Brandon King, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (capt & wk), 4 Rovman Powell, 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Jason Holder, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Alzarri Joseph

Chester-le-Street has only staged one T20I in the last eight years, and on that occasion New Zealand limped to 139 for 9 in their 20 overs. A bit more craft and graft is required for batting than at some of the venues in England and Wales. There has been rain around the country most of the week, but the forecast for Friday night is clear, if chilly.

"At one stage I was going to bed thinking 'I think I could actually do this - I think I could get rid of my second toe', but then the medical staff said you need it for balance so that was quickly ruled out."
Bryson Carse contemplated an extreme solution to his toe injury over the winter

"We need to adapt a bit quicker, assess the conditions and play particular situations better. But it's a differnet squad now, we have to put that ODI series behind us. We've got a new captain, some experienced players coming back into the T20 side. There's a lot to look forward to. Yes, we'll take the learnings from the ODI series but focus now is on the T20s."
Shai Hope is looking forward rather than back to a 3-0 ODI defeat