England have named their playing XI for the first ODI of the three-match series against Sri Lanka, starting on January 22. The match will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. This venue will also host matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 next month.

England have recalled opener Zak Crawley after 776 days. He last played an ODI for England in December 2023. Crawley has played only eight ODIs so far. He has scored 199 runs with an average of 28.42 and has two half-centuries. Notably, Crawley has also played for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, representing the franchise during the tournament.

After a disappointing Ashes series against Australia, which ended in a 4–1 loss, the team will look for a fresh start. The ODI series against Sri Lanka marks the beginning of their white-ball tour away from home. Harry Brook will lead the side as captain in this series.

Although this is an ODI series, England are also preparing for the T20 World Cup, which starts on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. This series will help the team adjust to Sri Lankan conditions. They may play their Super Six matches in Sri Lanka later in the tournament. In the league stage, England will play two matches each in Mumbai and Kolkata.

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Opening pair retained despite poor Ashes form

The opening pair of Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley has been kept for the ODI series, even though they struggled badly in the Ashes. The team management has shown faith in the duo and given them another chance at the top of the order.

Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, and captain Harry Brook will bat in the middle order. Former captain Jos Buttler will bat at number six and will also keep wickets. Will Jacks and Sam Curran have been picked as the all-rounders in the side.

England have named their XI for the first ODI against Sri Lanka tomorrow in Colombo 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Zak Crawley returns to the ODI side for the first time since December 2023, while Liam Dawson is the second spinner to support Adil Rashid pic.twitter.com/p5nWebXzYn

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 21, 2026

Strong spin attack included in the playing XI

Jamie Overton is the only other fast bowler in the team. The spin department looks strong, with Liam Dawson and Adil Rashid named as the two specialist spinners for the match.

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Playing XI of England:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid

Sri Lanka ODI squad:

Charith Asalanka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pavan Rathnayake, Dhananjaya de Silva, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jeffrey Vandersay, Maheesh Theekshana, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga

After the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia batter Travis Head confirmed that he personally contacted England opener Ben Duckett following criticism around England’s mid-series trip to Noosa. The matter came to light after a video showing Duckett in an inebriated state surfaced on social media, leading to an investigation by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Head said it was unfortunate that the video went public and that Duckett had to face heavy criticism right before the Melbourne Test. England, however, managed to put the off-field noise behind them and went on to win the match by four wickets inside two days.

The Australian batter pointed out that modern-day cricketers live under constant public attention and should be allowed some privacy, especially during long and demanding overseas tours. He felt that such moments should not be blown out of proportion.

Head Defends Players’ Right to Personal Time

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Head said, “Yeah, stiff. I think from one of his own as well. I reckon it was an English fan as well, which is a bit stiff. Yeah, I get along with Ducky well. I reached out to him to see if he was going alright. Everyone's still human, everyone's still people. What you do in your personal time is up to you.”

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He further added, “I know we live a high-profile life, and some people are more high-profile than others and get themselves in situations. At the end of the day, it's a bit stiff, but I don't think there's any real issue with it since that's something to talk about. As I said, when there are big gaps in tests, you've got to find something to talk about. Hopefully, we can play a bit longer next week and have less stuff to talk about.”

Head, who has already scored two centuries in the ongoing Ashes, also said he had no problem with England taking a short break during the tour. “Everyone else has made a lot more out of it, I think, than what it should have been. We've done the same thing. I spoke about it a couple of weeks ago. We've done the same thing on past tours, so I didn't have an issue with it,” he said.

The England captain, Ben Stokes, has given his full support to the opening batter, Ben Duckett, whose drunk video has gone viral on social media, which has led the ECB to investigate their mini three-day Noosa break between the second and third Ashes 2025/26 Test, which was planned by head coach Brendon McCullum.

The video of Ben Duckett showed the drunk individual forgetting his way to the hotel. The ECB reckoned that they had been aware of the video and had been trying to establish the facts, as Rob Key flew to Australia ahead of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), starting on Boxing Day.

See Also: ECB to investigate England team’s Noosa break ahead of 4th Ashes 2025/26 Test

“It's all pretty fresh and pretty new. I've obviously reached out and spoken to him and offered my complete support to him throughout this. He's such an important player for this team, and we've still got two games of cricket to play. He's an incredibly influential person within this group.” Stokes expressed in the pre-match press conference.

Ben Stokes vows to look after his England players

On the eve of Christmas, Stokes vowed to keep an eye on his players’ welfare, having gone through the same issue in the past. He also highlighted that they have two more Tests in Melbourne and Sydney and would look to do their best to finish the trip on a high.

Watch the video here: 

England captain Ben Stokes has vowed to stand by his players following a 'pile-on.'

More: https://t.co/Vd1tT4sRgA pic.twitter.com/SsBaGYBQyp

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 24, 2025

“I have first-hand experience of how this can affect people. I will always support my players, particularly in a moment like this where everything feels like it's on top of you - and for some players more than others as well. My job as England captain is obviously to be out there and get results for the team, but also to try to give people the best chance of being in a mental space.” Stokes noted.

“Supporting them and letting them know that I will be there for them through thick and thin is very, very important, and Ben Duckett knows that. I know what it's like. It's not a nice place to be in, but he knows that he's got the support of the other guys around him as well.” The England captain shed light. 

The England Cricket Board (ECB) is looking for verification of their opening batter Ben Duckett’s video where he was seen drunk and unable to find his way back to the team hotel during the squad’s three-day break to Noosa between the second and third Ashes 2025/26 Test. The video has emerged on X, just hours after men’s managing director, Rob Key, confirmed that there would be an investigation.

They will look to check the behavior of the players, especially including Ben Duckett, into the trip to the Sunshine Coast resort town, which followed an eight-wicket lose in Brisbane that put them 2-0 down in the series. The plan for the break in Noosa beach, which the ECB called a holiday, was organized by head coach Brendon McCullum in advance, to make the players freshen up.

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England went on to put their best bowling in the first innings and batting in the second innings of the Adelaide Test. Still, they succumbed to an 82-run defeat to see the home side retaining the urn in the five-matches as the lose the Ashes in record 11 days.

ECB to investigate Ben Duckett’s drunk video

Duckett, who was decent with the bat in the home series against India in the longest format, couldn’t get the same touch back since that time, having not scored a single international half-century in the entire ODI and T20I series against New Zealand, followed by this Ashes 2025/26 trip.

“We have high expectations for behaviour, accepting that players are often under intense levels of scrutiny, with established processes that we follow when conduct falls below expectations. We also support players that need assistance. We will not comment further at this stage while we establish the facts.” Key spoke in the ECB statement.

The 31-year-old Duckett has managed only 97 runs in this series at an average of 16.16 with a top score of 29. He also had the tough Ashes for the Lions squad in 2017-18. During that period, he was sent home with a fine and suspension by the ECB for pouring a drink over James Anderson in the Avenue Bar in Perth.

Delhi Capitals (DC) made some strong and bold moves at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Their biggest signing was uncapped Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Dar, whom they bought for ₹8.40 crore. Auqib came into the auction with a base price of just ₹30 lakh, but a bidding war followed. Rajasthan Royals started the bidding, later Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad joined in, but DC stayed till the end and won the bid.

Along with young talent, DC also focused on adding experience to the team. They signed South African veteran David Miller for ₹2 crore and England wicketkeeper-batter Ben Duckett for ₹2 crore. Miller is a very experienced IPL player. He has scored 3,077 runs in 141 IPL matches while playing for Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans, and Lucknow Super Giants. He has one century and 13 half-centuries, with a strong strike rate of over 138.

Former India cricketer Anil Kumble praised Delhi Capitals for signing David Miller. Speaking on JioHotstar, he said, “Experience is something the Delhi Capitals clearly lacked. While the uncapped batters did perform well last season, Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam, in particular, played the finisher's role effectively. Adding someone with David Miller's experience and ability is a big plus.” He also added, “Pairing him with Tristan Stubbs, his South African teammate, strengthens the middle order significantly. At that price, it's an absolute steal for the Delhi Capitals. I thought Gujarat Titans might look to bring him back, but they seem likely to stick with Washington Sundar for that role. Overall, it's a genius move by Delhi Capitals to add experience, something they were missing last season.”

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Delhi Capitals Bought Players at IPL 2026 Auction

Auqib Dar (₹8.40 crore), Ben Duckett (₹2 crore), David Miller (₹2 crore), Pathum Nissanka (₹4 crore), Lungi Ngidi (₹2 crore), Kyle Jamieson (₹2 crore), Prithvi Shaw (₹75 lakh), Sahil Parakh (₹30 lakh).

Delhi Capitals Full Squad for IPL 2026

Nitish Rana (traded in from RR), Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Dar, Ben Duckett, David Miller, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Kyle Jamieson, Prithvi Shaw, Sahil Parakh.

Heading into the second day-night Test of the Ashes 2025/26 at the Gabba in Brisbane, the talks were again on the England batting line-up and how they would tackle the left-arm pacer, Mitchell Starc, especially with the pink-ball, who had 81 wickets in just 27 innings in the day-night Tests and picked up three wickets in his opening over last time he turned up in this tradition. 

Mitchell Starc was smashed for a lovely boundary to settle the nerves for the visitors by Zak Crawley, who leaned forward to play the cover drive with no real feet movement and caressed it through the extra cover region for a sweet boundary. But Starc had the last laugh on the last ball of the over.

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For the third time in as many innings, Starc made the breakthrough in the very first over. It was a full delivery that curled away late outside of, and the southpaw went for a small drive to get the outside edge into the hands of the slip region to give the hosts a perfect start.

Watch: Mitchell Starc sends back Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope in 2nd D/N Ashes 2025/26 Test

On the third ball of his second over, Starc pocketed the wicket of Ollie Pope. The right-handed batter looked to stand on the top of the bounce of the short delivery and shuffled across to flay it through the off-side with an angled blade and ended up hitting the stumps to go back to the hut for a three-ball duck.

Another first over wicket for Mitchell Starc, it's the routine for this bloke to take wickets in First Over, Duckett departs for a DUCK. pic.twitter.com/YuGPdM6311

— U' (@toxifyxe) December 4, 2025

Since the 2021/22 season in Australia, England have struggled in their top-order batting. Their highest opening partnership remained 22, which came in the second day-night Adelaide Test in the last time around. In this series, they have got 2, 0, and 5 on the board.

Look How Mitchell Starc owning Ollie Pope pic.twitter.com/5aZ8QfGODJ

— 𝘚𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘈 𝟿𝟿𝟿 (@RarshitHana) December 4, 2025

However, since those two wickets, England batters have looked to be more aggressive, creaming three boundaries in the next couple of overs of the innings. England reached 24/2 at the end of the fifth over.

In the 14th match of The Hundred 2025, Northern Superchargers took on Birmingham Phoenix at Headingley, Leeds. Phoenix captain Liam Livingstone won the toss and chose to bowl, thinking the pitch would be better for batting later. David Miller came in for Graham Clark for the Superchargers, while Chris Wood replaced Dan Mousley for Phoenix.

Zak Crawley got the hosts off to a flying start with 45 runs from 23 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. Dawid Malan followed with a classy 58 from 34 balls, including seven boundaries and a six. Captain Harry Brook finished strong with 31 off 14 balls, and Dan Lawrence chipped in with 15 runs, helping the team post a big total of 193/5 in their 100 balls.

Phoenix had a terrible start, losing three wickets in the first 16 balls. Ben Duckett’s poor form continued, but Livingstone and Jacob Bethell fought back with an 80-run partnership. Bethell hit 48 off 23 balls with three fours and three sixes, while Livingstone scored 46 off 31 with one four and four sixes. Once they got out, the chase lost momentum, and Northern Superchargers wrapped up a 36-run win to move to the top of the points table.

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Southern Brave and Birmingham Phoenix met in the seventh match of The Hundred 2025 at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. The Brave got a big boost with the return of star pacer Jofra Archer, who missed the last game. Birmingham, even after a poor batting show in their first match, stuck with the same playing XI. Brave captain James Vince won the toss and chose to bowl first, expecting the pitch to get better for batting later on.

Birmingham’s batting never really got going. The opening pair of Bn Duckett and Will Smeed failed to build a stand, with Duckett battling against Archer’s short balls before getting out for 20 from 21 balls. Joe Clarke scored 36 from 27, but no one else could lift the run rate. Michael Bracewell bowled brilliantly, taking 3 wickets for just 10 runs, while Archer picked up 2/16 with 14 dot balls. Chris Jordan and James Coles got one wicket each.

Chasing 109, the Brave openers made it look easy. Leus du Plooy stayed unbeaten on 48 from 29 balls, hitting five fours and a six. Skipper James Vince scored 41 from 30 balls with four boundaries. Jason Roy added 18 not out as Brave crossed the target with 19 balls left, winning comfortably by 9 wickets.

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One of the most interesting events from the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 took place at Kennington Oval between England and India when Akash Deep, after dismissing Ben Duckett, walked up to the batter and put his arm around the opener’s shoulder. The England batter handled the situation pretty well and went back to the dressing room calmly.

Many former players, including Michael Atherton and the former Indian head coach, Ravi Shastri, reckoned that these acts should be avoided. A week after the conclusion of the contest, the Bengal pacer expressed the words Akash Deep exchanged with Duckett on that morning session of the second day.

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“I have a good record against Duckett and have got him out a few times. I have always fancied my chances against the left-handers, and he is no different. On that day, he was trying to throw me off my line and length and had played several unconventional shots. That’s when he said to me that it was his day and I would not be able to get him out.” Akash said on Revsportz.

Watch: Akash Deep reveals reason behind send-off to Ben Duckett during ENG vs IND 5th Test

The wicket, which broke the opening partnership of the home side, worked for the Blue Brigade as the Ollie Pope-led side collapsed to 247 after finding themselves at a dominating position.

“The truth is, if a batter moves around the pitch and plays these shots, your line and length do get impacted, for you don’t know what he will do next. That’s what was happening. Also, England were off to a quick start, and we needed a wicket. We were defending a modest score, and wickets were critical.” The Bihar-born shed light during the same interaction. 

“When I got him out (smiles), I said to him: ‘You miss, I hit. Not always will you win. This time, I win. It was a continuation of what he was saying to me, and it was all done in good spirit,” Akash Deep concluded.

The Anderson-Tendulkar trophy for this year is over, but a few instances keep the memories of the series alive. It was some 1 v 1 rivalry moments that spiced up the competition more. In a recent interview, England opener Ben Duckett's coach, James Knott, highlighted the moment when India pacer Akash Deep kept his arm around Duckett after taking his wicket in the fifth match.

The action made by Akash annoyed multiple cricket fraternities. The fifth and the last match of the series was shaped like a final, after the fourth match ended in a draw. At The Oval it was a must-win game for Team India, as England was leading the scoreline 2-1. When the series was on the line, the Indian bowling line-up stunned the home team in London.

In the first innings of the fifth match, there were some intense moments between Duckett and Deep. The English opener was looking confident and tried to make some aggressive shots. Duckett even said to Akash, "You cannot get me out here." That comment from the batsman pumped up the Indian pacer, and shortly, he dismissed Duckett. A reply in style from the pacer. The controversial moment was staged in the middle when Duckett was making his strides towards the dugout. Akash Deep placed his right arm around the batsman's shoulder and exchanged a few words with a smile. That act from the bowler was heavily criticized.

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James Knott is not happy enough about the incident

"It was part of a competitive series but certainly needs a sanction to discourage young stars. At the same time, it doesn't bother me personally," James Knott said. 

Duckett was a constant threat for India throughout the series. With a century in the first Test and three half centuries, Ben Duckett emerged as one of the leading run scorers for England in the series against India.