England's New Era Begins with Brook and Asalanka
England’s white-ball summer will move into a new phase against Sri Lanka, and the squad lists tell you plenty about where both teams stand.
Harry Brook has the keys. Kusal Mendis is stuck on the treatment table. Around them, opportunity knocks.
New faces, new tone for England
Two uncapped names jump off England’s sheet: Aneurin Donald and Henry Crocombe.
Donald, the aggressive Derbyshire opener, has battered down the door with his domestic form and now walks into the T20I squad. He is the sort of pick that signals intent: power at the top, tempo from ball one, no half measures.
Crocombe, the Sussex seamer, earns his first ODI call-up after a standout summer that clearly impressed the selectors. White-ball tours can drift into routine; selections like these jolt them back to life.
Brook captains both formats, a clear sign of how firmly he now sits at the centre of England’s white-ball plans. This is his tour, his dressing room, his chance to shape a group that blends proven stars with hungry fringe players.
Jamie Overton is back too, named in both squads after the thigh injury that kept him out of the India series earlier in the summer. His pace and lower-order hitting give England that familiar modern luxury: a seam-bowling allrounder who can change a game in a handful of balls.
Not everyone is on the bus. Phil Salt, a fixture at the top of the order in recent months, misses out with a right quad injury. Jacob Bethell, another of England’s brighter young hopes, remains sidelined as he continues his recovery from knee surgery. Two attacking options gone, two new ones in. The churn continues.
The T20I squad carries a familiar core. Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Saqib Mahmood bring serious pace, with Josh Tongue adding another tall, awkward angle. Adil Rashid anchors the spin department, while Liam Dawson offers control and batting depth. Jos Buttler, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Tom Banton and Jordan Cox form a flexible batting unit around Brook and Donald, with Sonny Baker adding another seam option.
For the ODIs, the shape is similar but not identical. Rehan Ahmed comes in to deepen the spin stocks, Crocombe replaces Donald as the debutant-in-waiting, and Joe Root joins to steady the middle order and tune up in a format he knows better than most. Archer, Atkinson, Tongue and Overton again form the fast-bowling spine, with Rashid and Dawson the twin spin options.
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.
This is not England at full, World Cup-mode strength. It is something different: a competitive, experimental group, led by a batter who plays on fast-forward.
Sri Lanka turn to Asalanka
On the other side, Sri Lanka arrive without their regular white-ball captain.
Kusal Mendis, injured during the Lanka Premier League in July, remains out with a hamstring problem that already cost him the Test series against India. His absence strips Sri Lanka of a senior voice and a proven top-order presence.
Charith Asalanka steps up to lead the T20I side. For him, this series is double-edged: a return and an audition. He was dropped for the tour of the West Indies in June; now he comes back not just as a batter, but as captain.
The selectors have moved quickly to plug the gaps. Pavan Rathnayake comes in as Mendis’ replacement, while left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka joins the squad after Binura Fernando was ruled out with a back injury.
Around Asalanka, the T20I group has a familiar, dangerous look. Pathum Nissanka provides class at the top, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana give Sri Lanka one of the most inventive spin pairings in the game, and Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Thushara bring pace and variety. Dasun Shanaka’s experience, Kamindu Mendis’ versatility and Dunith Wellalage’s all-round promise give the side balance.
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.
Asalanka’s task is clear: keep Sri Lanka competitive in English conditions, manage a bowling attack that can win matches on its own, and show he can handle the armband while still producing runs.
Six games, six different questions
The tour is neatly carved into six white-ball contests, each with its own subplot.
The T20Is open the trip: Southampton on September 15, Cardiff on September 17, Manchester on September 19. Three grounds, three different surfaces, three chances for Brook’s England to show how quickly this reshaped side can click.
Then the format stretches out. ODIs follow in Chester-le-Street on September 22, Leeds on September 24, and The Oval on September 27. Those matches will test depth, game management and, for England, how seamlessly players like Crocombe and Rehan Ahmed can slot alongside old hands such as Root and Rashid.
By the end of September, the scorecards will tell one story. The real intrigue lies elsewhere.
Will Brook stamp his authority as England’s next long-term white-ball leader, and will Asalanka turn a stand-in role into something more permanent?
