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Jofra Archer has been named in England’s provisional squad for the 2026 T20I World Cup despite still nursing a left side strain that ruled him out of the Ashes after the third Test.The 15-man squad also includes Josh Tongue, uncapped in international limited-overs cricket. Tongue has been drafted in by head coach Brendon McCullum and white-ball captain skipper Harry Brook as a strike bowler they believe will thrive on the flatter pitches expected for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka.Jamie Smith has been axed completely from the limited-overs set-up, which begins the new year with a pre-tournament tour of Sri Lanka, after a failed experiment at the top of the order. He has endured a tough Ashes tour – averaging 19.85 – which followed on from a torrid white ball run, which included four ducks in his last 10 ODI innings. He last played a T20I for England in June having been moved to open across both codes at the start of the year. Ben Duckett returns after missing the three T20Is in New Zealand ahead of the ongoing tour of Australia.Related

• Archer out of Ashes tour, Bethell replaces Pope for Boxing Day Test

Archer was England’s standout player of the Ashes before he picked up his injury during the third Test in Adelaide, which Australia won to secure the urn in just 11 days. The fast bowler registered nine wickets at 27.11, including 5 for 53 – his fourth five-wicket haul – in the first innings at Adelaide Oval. He also contributed with the bat, striking a maiden half-century in the same game as part of 102 runs at 25.50.Archer left Australia on Boxing Day evening, after day one of the fourth Test in Melbourne, and is currently recovering in Barbados under the supervision of the ECB’s medial team. He will miss the three ODIs and three T20Is in Sri Lanka, which starts from January 22, with Brydon Carse staying on after the 50-over matches to fill in. Archer is likely to join the squad in India ahead of their opening Group C match against Nepal in Mumbai on February 8.

England’s T20 WC group fixtures

• vs Nepal, February 8, Mumbai

• vs West Indies, February 11, Mumbai

• vs Bangladesh, February 14, Kolkata

• vs Italy, February 16, Kolkata

Tongue, though relatively inexperienced in T20 cricket with just 21 matches under his belt, has come to the fore with a string of impressive performances this year. He was the leading wicket-taker in this year’s men’s Hundred with 14 wickets and has impressed in the two Ashes Tests, with 12 at 18.58. That includes 5 for 45 at the MCG, as part of match figures of 7 for 89 which earned him the Mullagh Medal as Player of the Match in England’s first Test win in Australia since January 2011.Meanwhile, allrounder Will Jacks is back in both squads after missing the New Zealand tour, and Zak Crawley returns to the ODI set-up for the first time since 2023, looking to add to his eight caps. There is no place for Jordan Cox, or seamer Saqib Mahmood, who is still recovering from a knee injury that required minor surgery at the end of the 2025 home season.

England’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka

• 1st ODI: January 22, Colombo

• 2nd ODI: January 24, Colombo

• 3rd ODI: January 27, Colombo

• 1st T20I: January 30, Kandy

• 2nd T20I: February 1, Kandy

• 3rd T20I: February 3, Kandy

Despite the tight turnaround after the Ashes – the group will leave the UK for Sri Lanka on January 18, ten days after the scheduled finish of the fifth Test in Sydney – England have decided not to rest their Test stars. Seven of the ODI squad have been out in Australia for the duration, including Joe Root, who turned 35 on Tuesday.Leaning on experience speaks to the importance of correcting England’s ailing white-ball fortunes, and the need for McCullum to restate his worth after a demoralising Ashes tour.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Since assuming control of the limited-overs team at the start of 2025 alongside his Test head coach role, McCullum has overseen six wins and five defeats in 13 T20Is – he skipped the Ireland tour which England won 2-0 – and lost 11 of 15 ODI matches in charge. The latter means automatic qualification for 2027’s 50-over World Cup is not a foregone conclusion, with the top-eight-ranked sides progressing to the main tournament. England are eighth as it stands, ahead of West Indies and Bangladesh.Success in the T20 World Cup would no doubt ease the pressure on McCullum. England finished as semi-finalists in 2024’s edition, losing to eventual winners India, which ultimately cost former white-ball coach Matthew Mott his job as head coach. England previously won the tournament in 2010 and 2022.

England squad for Sri Lanka T20Is and provisional squad for T20 World Cup

Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer (World Cup only), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse (Sri Lanka tour only), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

England ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour

Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Luke Wood

Sunderland played out their final game of a jaw-dropping 2025 when drawing 1-1 with Leeds United.

It really has been a dream year from a Black Cats perspective, with promotion finally achieved back up to the Premier League.

Yet, the Wearside giants were only getting started with that stunning feat, looking back, with four defeats from 18 top-flight games to date, seeing Regis Le Bris’ men enter into 2026 in a more than healthy seventh spot.

Sunderland fans would have been content if their team had stumbled to a 17th-place finish come the end of their first season back in the big time, as the hardened Stadium of Light masses leap into the New Year firmly in dreamland.

However, it isn’t all entirely rosy on Wearside, with Chris Rigg struggling to adapt to the pressures of the Premier League after a breakout campaign under Le Bris.

Rigg's struggles at Sunderland

For an 18-year-old still learning the ropes, it does feel as if Rigg has been in and around the senior picture at Sunderland for some time now

Indeed, he was only 15 years of age when Tony Mowbray would hand him his first-ever senior shot in the FA Cup.

But, while he had been gifted opportunities here and there to shine, it was last season, under Le Bris’ watchful eye, where the homegrown talent really came into his own as a consistent first-team presence.

Rigg would amazingly line up for 45 Championship clashes under the Frenchman, having only been afforded 21 league appearances the campaign before, and it would prove to be a masterstroke to make him a guaranteed starter.

The 12-time England U19 international would pick up four goals and one assist as his team were crowned playoff winners, with commentator Ian Darke stating that he will “obviously play in the Premier League”, even if Sunderland didn’t secure a passage up to the promised land.

He was also dubbed a “phenomenal” talent by scout Ben Mattinson, with the playoff final further seeing him bravely win two tackles and three duels for his boyhood employers.

Unfortunately for the teenage sensation, he is yet to look comfortable on such a grand stage, despite once being tipped to move to Manchester United, with zero goals or assists coming his way from only 253 minutes of action.

With Sunderland reportedly set to go after Ayyoub Bouaddi to enhance their midfield personnel, Rigg could slide down the pecking order even more.

But, with Le Bris’ track record evident with Rigg, they might well be better bumping up another academy gem to bolster his options, instead of forking out more major cash on the Arsenal-linked starlet.

Sunderland are already brewing a homegrown Bouaddi

Bouaddi really is the talk of the town in the Premier League heading into what will surely be a chaotic January window, with the 18-year-old – who has already been dubbed “world-class” by scout Jacek Kulig – on the shopping list of the likes of Chelsea and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, away from the ultra-ambitious Black Cats.

Comfortable lining up as a defensive option centrally, or further forward, the Lille golden boy has four assists next to his name from 74 senior appearances, leading to the much-talked-about number 32 having an audacious £52m valuation slapped above his head.

Bouaddi is clearly heading for a major move in January, off the back of already being a Champions League-level star at the tender age of 18, with Sunderland hopeful they can compete with their mega-rich rivals in attempting to land his coveted signature.

But, if they realistically fall short, they won’t feel too downbeat, with Harrison Jones sticking out as a similarly silky performer from the middle of the park for the Black Cats at U21 level.

Jones’ numbers for Sunderland

Stat

Jones

Games played

74

Senior appearances

7

Goals scored

16

Assists

14

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Equally capable of playing as a midfield anchor or further up the pitch as a number ten, much like Bouaddi, Jones can also boast a seriously impressive haul of 16 goals and 14 assists from 67 youth appearances and counting.

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Six of those goal contributions have come just this season in Premier League 2 action, as the Sunderland-born “diamond” – as he was once labelled by youth coach John Hewitson – continues to stick out as a classy youngster centrally, like his £52m counterpart.

He wouldn’t cost a single penny to bump into the first team picture, unlike the bank having to be broken to land Bouaddi, with Sunderland more than vindicated in the past when bumping up the likes of Rigg to the men’s side, even if he has disappointingly fallen to the wayside since promotion was sealed.

Of course, Bouaddi has already been exposed to the difficult pressures of stages such as the Premier League to justify such a lavish price tag, with nine Champions League outings even under his belt.

Still, it feels far-fetched that Le Bris and Co. will be able to tempt him to Wearside, with Jones more than a standout alternative, having regularly been named on the bench by the Frenchman this season.

Related Sunderland plot move to sign Serie A forward who wants Premier League switch

The Black Cats could turn to the transfer market once again.

Posts ByTom Cunningham