Banton century helps England clinch Sri Lanka ODI series but key World Cup questions remain
England beat Sri Lanka at The Oval on Sunday to seal the ODI series, with Tom Banton hitting his first England century and Jordan Cox contributing a 52-ball 76 in a 355-7 total.
Coach Brendon McCullum said after the match: "We are also trying to include a number of warm-up games as well," signalling plans to arrange 50-over practice matches ahead of next winter. McCullum, who added to his backroom staff this summer and spoke about fitness at The Oval, noted that England have not played 50-over practice fixtures on tours outside World Cups for six years in the format. England lost six of seven ODI series between their final match of the 2023 World Cup and the end of last year, including exiting the Champions Trophy without a win, but have now won all three of their 50-over series this year; former spinner Phil Tufnell said: "I think they might be in with a shout, with a bit of luck on their side."
Tom Banton set the platform for England's 355-7 in the decider and Jordan Cox capitalised on an opportunity created by Jos Buttler's hamstring injury, producing a rapid 52-ball 76. Buttler had displayed "brilliant" boundary-hitting in the second ODI before the injury; the injury has left him facing a spell on the sidelines and Cox emerged as a capable understudy during the series. Cox's form, combined with Banton's maiden century, adds depth to England's white-ball options while Buttler recovers.
Ben Duckett's form remains inconsistent despite earlier highs this summer: he produced a 141 in a one-day international at Lord's and has also scored a Test century, yet finished with nine scores below 20 from his other 15 innings. Duckett averaged 27.15 across formats since his 149 against India last summer and has averaged 23.4 on surfaces deemed as "high bouncing" since the start of 2023. Jacob Bethell, who shared a 192 opening stand with Duckett in the series decider against India at Lord's and who scored 91 in the third ODI against India before missing the Sri Lanka series with a knee injury, is being talked of as a senior player despite being 22.
Rehan Ahmed was expected to press his case as England's leg-spinner with Adil Rashid injured, but the 22-year-old was left out of the series decider. Ahmed recorded figures of 1-46 in the first ODI and 2-48 from eight overs in the second, but Liam Dawson, 14 years his senior, returned 3-26 at The Oval. Dawson landed 39% of his deliveries on a spinner's "good" length in that match compared to Ahmed's 22% across the previous two games; Ahmed also suffered a sloppy run-out in Durham and a five-ball duck in the Headingley chase. The decision to drop Ahmed leaves Rashid, who will be 39 at the World Cup, in a crucial role.
Jofra Archer remains England's principal pace weapon despite a quiet end to a long summer, while Gus Atkinson has offered control with 49% of his powerplay deliveries hitting a good length and Jamie Overton has performed as a middle-over enforcer. Sonny Baker's new-ball spell at The Oval produced a swinging, rising delivery that removed Pathum Nissanka with his second delivery; McCullum said Baker was brought in to provide some new-ball "X-Factor". After two ODIs, Baker ranks among five bowlers to average more than 85mph and over one degree of swing inside the powerplay in the format, alongside India's Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, West Indies' Alzarri Joseph and Australia's Mitchell Starc.
Sam Curran's impending return from a groin injury offers England an all-round option as a left-handed batter and seam bowler, but his return would intensify selection pressure. At full strength, England could find themselves needing to omit two of Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue and Sonny Baker from a first-choice XI, underscoring a selection squeeze in the seam department.
With the next World Cup a year away and around "20-or-so ODIs" remaining before it, England face a limited window to finalise their 50-over combinations — resolving the spinner selection, clarifying the top-order balance and determining the preferred pace unit will be priorities across those fixtures.
