Jofra Archer is the surprise inclusion in England’s team for their Twenty20 series opener against Sri Lanka on Friday, having initially been excluded from the touring squad.
The fast bowler was not named in the two white-ball groups to tour Sri Lanka after sustaining a side strain during the Ashes but was picked for the T20 World Cup, which begins a week on Saturday.
Having joined the England squad in Colombo during the one-day international series to continue his preparations, Archer took part in training on Thursday night in Pallekele and is fit to play after making “a full recovery”, said the England and Wales Cricket Board.
It is a major boost for Harry Brook’s side and means Archer will get some valuable match practice before their World Cup opener against Nepal in Mumbai on 8 February. Only Adil Rashid has taken more wickets than the 30-year-old for England’s T20 side in the past two years.
Ben Duckett is missing from the XI to play in Pallekele, not considered for selection after hurting his right index finger while fielding in England’s ODI series-winning victory on Tuesday. Tom Banton will bat at four in his first appearance of the tour, with Jacob Bethell at three.
Phil Salt, not part of the 50-over setup, will resume his T20 opening partnership with Jos Buttler. Speaking before the news of Archer’s inclusion, Salt claimed that India are “far and away the strongest team” at the upcoming World Cup.
Such a ringing endorsement for the defending champions should probably be expected. India have lost only one T20 series since their semi-final defeat by England at the 2022 World Cup, and victory at the 2024 edition has not slowed them down, with only six losses in their past 40 matches.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have departed but Abhishek Sharma, the left-hander who punished England with a 37-ball century in Mumbai last year, has filled the space in electric style, topping the International Cricket Council’s T20 batting rankings.
“I think the [Indian Premier League] is probably a massive part of it,” said Salt. “They obviously had their turning of the corner after we beat them in Adelaide in the 2022 World Cup, probably a combination of all those things.
“They’re so dangerous with so much strength and depth. You need your luck at the right time in tournament cricket – everyone’s going to need a bit to beat them.”
Salt is right behind Abhishek in those rankings. The 29-year-old has been pivotal for England in the shortest form, an unbeaten 141 against South Africa last summer his fourth T20I hundred. In his last international series, against New Zealand in October, he contributed a match-winning 56-ball 85. After 50 T20Is, the numbers are in decent health: an average of 38.5 to go with a strike rate a touch under 170.
“I really like watching [Abhishek] bat,” Salt said. “I’ll be honest with you, last night I was disappointed because he got out early [against New Zealand]. It’s something that’s in the back of my mind – it’s nowhere near the front of my mind – but I’d like to catch him. I’d like to go past him in the rankings. That’s been my goal for a while, even when [Suryakumar Yadav] was number one. A completely different batter, but I still wanted to catch him.”
Despite his 20-over dominance, Salt lost his ODI spot after last year’s Champions Trophy. He said he has “not asked that question” about where he sits in England’s plans for that form. “At the moment it’s about being the best T20 player I can be. For me, focusing on myself, I’ve got an opportunity to say: ‘This is my chance in my career to be the best I can possibly be at T20 cricket’, to put all my energy into that. That’s the way I see it right now.
“As of right now, everything’s about being the best T20 player I can be and winning as many games as possible for England.”
Salt has never faced Sri Lanka before but, having talked in the past about studying footage and bowlers’ pitch maps, will do his homework. “I’m not a spreadsheet man. But I’ll be having a good chat with Rupert [Lewis, the team analyst] at the ground [at training]. Watching as much footage as possible of these guys. I think that’s the most important bit for me.
“I’ll have a good look at [Sri Lanka] in the warm-up, when the bowlers are bowling. More than anything right now, it’s for me to have clarity on where they miss, what their plans are. It’s really simple, it’s not Moneyball by any stretch of the imagination. Just being fully prepped to the point that there are no surprises.”
England XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
