Tom Banton is set to open the batting with Ben Duckett for England in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.
Banton will be Duckett’s sixth opening partner since McCullum’s takeover of the white-ball side, following Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Zak Crawley, Rehan Ahmed and Jacob Bethell. Bethell was named at the top of the order for the India series and scored a well-made 91 at Lord’s but has been ruled out of the series with a knee injury, which has kept him out of action since mid-August.
Banton, a regular in the middle order in the T20I side, has made just seven ODI appearances, scoring 172 runs at an average of 28.66, with a highest score of 58. He comes into the role in good form, scoring a match-winning 24-ball 52 in the second T20I in Cardiff.
The team will also be without ace leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who, as reported by Cricinfo, is suffering from a ‘niggle in his bowling hand’. Rehan will take his place in the side and will lead the spin attack. Josh Tongue returns to the side after having missed the final two T20Is and will join Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton as part of a solid pace battery.
Harry Brook‘s side comes into the series on the back of a 3-0 whitewash of the Sri Lanka side in the three-match T20I series, and will be looking to put up similar results in the ODI leg. Their last assignment in the format saw them come from behind to take a 2-1 series win over a strong India side.Â
The talismanic Joe Root also returns, having recorded fifty-plus scores in his last six innings in the format and has not been dismissed in his last four innings. Root finished Player of the Series against India, with scores of 76, 99 and 74, finishing with 249 runs from three matches. Root was also named Player of the Series when these two teams met in Sri Lanka earlier in the year, scoring 247 runs in three matches, with scores of 61, 75 and 111.
England XI for first ODI vs Sri Lanka:
Tom Banton, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacks, Rehan Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue
