England confirmed Wednesday the dates for a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in January and February next year that will serve as part of their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Harry Brook’s men will play the first of three one-day internationals on January 22 — two weeks after the scheduled fifth day of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, a match in which the multi-format batsman, now England’s white-ball captain, is set to feature. The ODI series in Sri Lanka ends on January 27 with a three-game T20 campaign starting on January 30 and ending on February 3.
The fixtures will serve as key preparation for the World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, offering England crucial experience in subcontinental conditions as they chase a third T20 World Cup title, having previously won in 2009 and 2022.
This will be England’s first white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in over seven years. Its last visit came in 2018, when it won the ODI series 3-1 and also clinched the solitary T20I.
The T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India, the reigning champions, and Sri Lanka in February and March.
Sri Lanka’s immediate assignment is a three-match T20I series away to Zimbabwe in September, while England hosts South Africa for a T20I series starting September 10 in Cardiff.
Series schedule
1st ODI – 22 January, 2026
2nd ODI – 24 January, 2026
3rd ODI – 27 January, 2026
1st T20I – 30 January, 2026
2nd T20I – 1 February, 2026
3rd T20I – 3 February, 2026
