England have unveiled their playing XI for the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with batsman Ben Duckett dropped from the side. The left-hander recently made his debut in the third T20I against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, where he was dismissed for a three-ball duck. In his place, England have decided to bring in Tom Banton, who will line up at number four in the batting order.
Alongside the change, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton and captain Harry Brook form a strong middle order that provides both stability and firepower. Meanwhile, Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Liam Dawson add much-needed depth to the batting line-up while also contributing with the ball. Jofra Archer and Luke Wood will take charge in the pace department, with Adil Rashid continuing as England’s leading tonner.
England were placed in Group C of the tournament alongside Italy, Nepal, Scotland and the West Indies. The Three Lions enter the competition in sensational form, having recorded back-to-back wins against Ireland, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in recent weeks. They recently completed a dominant 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka away from homesending strong warning signals to other teams participating in the tournament.
Brook reflects on the Wellington incident
Meanwhile, ahead of England’s opener, captain Harry Brook spoke about the tough time he has been going through recently following the October 31 incident in Wellington. England captain was allegedly involved in an altercation outside a nightclubfor which he publicly apologized three times. As part of the disciplinary proceedings, Brook was fined the maximum £30,000 by the ECB and given a final warning.
“It was pretty scary to be honest, but that’s part of it. It was just hard. People in the group supported me. It wasn’t a very nice time in my life. It wasn’t easy,” Brooke was quoted as saying by ESPN.
“All I do is hit the ball with the bat and that’s what I want to do for the rest of (my career) – 15, 20 years or whatever – and that’s all it should be. Fortunately, I’m still pretty good at it,” he added.
England playing XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (C), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
February 7, 2026
