Mumbai, Feb 7 (IANS) The England cricket team has announced its playing XI for its opening match in the T20 World Cup 2026 to be played against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
The two-time world champions will be captained by Harry Brook, who will be making his debut as a skipper in an ICC tournament.
England have a strong batting line-up with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler to open the innings, followed by Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton at number three and four, respectively.
Captain Brook will bat at number five, and all-rounders Sam Curran and Will Jacks will have a responsibility to finish the innings.
England has picked two fast bowlers, Jofra Archer and Luke Wood, while Curran will be the third pace option.
Brook-led side will play with two spinners, Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson, while Will Jacks will be the third spin option. The team has ignored Jamie Overton, who was part of their playing XI against Sri Lanka in the bilateral series ahead of the World Cup.
England is placed in Group C in the tournament. After their opener against Nepal, the team will take on the West Indies on February 11 at the same venue.
The team will then move to Kolkata, where they will play at the Eden Gardens Stadium against Scotland on February 14 and Italy on February 16 in the group stage.
England are coming to the tournament with high confidence, as they beat the co-hosts Sri Lanka by 3-0 in the bilateral series, which was crucial for their World Cup preparation.
The two-time winners reached the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup held in 2024, where they were eliminated by the eventual winners, India.
England’s playing XI
Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
–IANS
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