Post by : Meena Ariff

England has named fast bowler Jofra Archer in its provisional squad of 15 players for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka this February. Despite nursing a left side strain injury that he sustained during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide, Archer has been included in the squad that will be captained by Harry Brook.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, that Archer will continue his rehabilitation under the supervision of the England medical team. However, due to the injury, he will miss the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which starts on January 22 and includes three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

The left side strain forced Archer to withdraw from the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne. England secured a convincing victory in that match by four wickets within just two days, but Archer’s absence was felt, as he had been one of England’s standout performers in the series. Before his injury, Archer had taken nine wickets at an average of 27.11, including a memorable 5/53 in the first innings in Adelaide. He also showcased his batting skills by scoring his maiden Test half-century, contributing 102 runs during the same match.

While Archer is a relatively inexperienced T20 player with only 21 matches to his name, his inclusion in the squad underlines the faith the selectors have in his abilities. In addition to Archer, uncapped pacer Joshua Tongue has been named in the provisional T20 World Cup squad. Tongue, who has yet to play limited-overs cricket for England, has impressed selectors with his consistent performances this year. He was the leading wicket-taker in this year’s men’s Hundred tournament with 14 wickets and has taken 12 wickets at an average of 18.58 in the two Ashes Tests he featured in.

Batting all-rounder Will Jacks has made a return to both the T20 World Cup squad and the white-ball squads after missing the New Zealand white-ball tour in October due to injury. Seamer Brydon Carse has been included in the squads for both the ODI and T20I series in Sri Lanka, while top-order batsman Zak Crawley has returned to the ODI squad for the first time since December 2023.

Notably, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, and Saqib Mahmood have been left out of the T20 World Cup provisional squad and the white-ball squads for the Sri Lanka tour.

England’s T20 World Cup campaign will begin on February 8 in Mumbai against Nepal. They will then face the West Indies on February 11, followed by Bangladesh on February 14, and Italy on February 16, with the latter three matches scheduled in Kolkata.

#Global News #Sports News