The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its provisional squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 with Harry Brook leading the side in the big event for the first time. The selection has been headlined by two significant omissions: batter Jamie Smith and all-rounder Liam Livingstone.
England Name Provisional Squad for 2026 T20 World Cup; Jamie Smith and Liam Livingstone Omitted
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have made some eye-catching decisions with a few returns and some big omissions making the headlines for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February and March.
Read Also: England ODI, T20I squads for Sri Lanka tour officially announced; Jofra Archer OUT
The ECB has confirmed that the England team is set to depart on 18 January 2026 for their busy subcontinent assignments. Notably, England will play white-ball matches in Sri Lanka before the showpiece event, starting on February 7.
Will Jacks is back in the squad after missing the white-ball tour of New Zealand due to a broken finger. Jack’s return gives England another strong all-round option.
Major Omissions: Smith and Livingstone Axed
However, Jamie Smith has been left out of the T20 World Cup squad because of his poor form in the ongoing Ashes, where he averaged under 20 with just one fifty in eight innings. And then England already has plenty of top-order options in Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, and Ben Duckett, making Smith sit on the sideline with selectors opted for experience.
Additionally, Jordan Cox was also not picked in the squad along with fast bowlers Sonny Baker and Saqib Mahmood. However, the experienced all-rounder Sam Curran made the cut. Since the tournament will be held in India and Sri Lanka, England made smart choices as they bolstered their spin department with Liam Dawson and Rehan Ahmed joining Adil Rashid and Jacks.
Jofra Archer’s Conditional Inclusion
Jofra Archer, who sustained an injury during the Ashes 2025-26, has been named in the provisional T20 World Cup squad, but he will not travel to Sri Lanka. For the Sri Lanka series, Brydon Carse will take his place before returning home during the team’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. However, ECB has not mentioned reason behind Livingstone’s snub.
The ECB stated, “Sussex fast bowler Jofra Archer is included in the provisional T20 World Cup squad but will miss the tour of Sri Lanka as he continues his rehabilitation with the England medical team following the left side strain sustained during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide earlier this month.”
Read Also: Sunil Gavaskar EXPOSES real reason behind England’s Ashes 2025-26 loss
The upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be Harry Brook’s first major tournament as England captain. He took charge after their poor ICC Champions Trophy campaign earlier this year, where England lost all three group matches. Like others, England are allowed to make changes to their squad until a week before the prestigious tournament begins.
England Squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2026:
Harry Brook (C), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood.
England’s Group C Fixtures at ICC T20 World Cup 2026:
The Harry Brook-led English side has been placed in Group C alongside Nepal, West Indies, Bangladesh, and Italy. They will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Nepal and will play all their group matches in India at Kolkata and Mumbai.
February 8: England vs Nepal at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
February 11: England vs West Indies at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
February 14: England vs Bangladesh at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 16: England vs Italy at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
