The England men’s cricket team, under the leadership of Harry Brook, will travel to Sri Lanka in early 2026 for a white-ball series, marking an important step in their build-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka later in the year.
The tour will comprise a three-match ODI series, starting Thursday, January 22, and concluding on January 27. It will then be followed by a three-match T20I series from January 30 to February 3, 2026. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is yet to finalize the venues for the matches.
Crucial Preparation for World Cup Glory
The T20I leg of the tour is being seen as especially vital for England, who are eyeing a record third T20 World Cup title after lifting the trophy in 2010 and 2022. The Three Lions were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2024 edition by India, and will be determined to go the distance this time.
A senior England team source emphasized,
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒓𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒂 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒎-𝒖𝒑𝒔; 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆-𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒃𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒅𝒂𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒑.”
England last toured Sri Lanka in January 2021, clinching a 2-0 Test series win. Their next scheduled clash will come in September 2026, when Sri Lanka visit England for a limited-overs series.
Recent Form and Upcoming Challenges
England head into this assignment after their fiercely contested Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against India, which ended in a 2-2 draw. Before heading to Sri Lanka, they will face South Africa in a white-ball series in September 2025, a contest expected to test their depth across formats.
Meanwhile, hosts Sri Lanka are focusing on the Asia Cup 2025, set to be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28. Their campaign will open against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi on September 13, with the squad announcement still pending.
Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan reacted to the announcement, saying,
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑻20 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑪𝒖𝒑 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚.”
England Tour of Sri Lanka 2026 – Schedule
| Match | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1st ODI | January 22, 2026 | TBA |
| 2nd ODI | January 24, 2026 | TBA |
| 3rd ODI | January 27, 2026 | TBA |
| 1st T20I | January 30, 2026 | TBA |
| 2nd T20I | February 1, 2026 | TBA |
| 3rd T20I | February 3, 2026 | TBA |
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Shreyas Iyer’s Omission Raises Eyebrows Among Former Players
