England confirmed Phil Salt is fit for their T20 World Cup opener against Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Salt will open the innings alongside Jos Buttler. He had missed Tuesday’s match against Sri Lanka due to a back spasm but trained successfully on Friday to regain full fitness.
Tom Banton, who impressed with 54 runs off 33 balls against Sri Lanka, will bat at number four. Ben Duckett was left out, reflecting England’s strategy to balance experience and in-form players. Captain Harry Brook will lead the team and provide stability in the middle order.
Read more: T20 World Cup to begin after chaotic build-up
England’s pace attack features Luke Wood, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran. Wood was preferred over Jamie Overton, offering both speed and swing options. The team aims to use the seamers to exploit early pitch conditions at Wankhede.
The spin department is strengthened with Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson as lead spinners. All-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks will provide additional spin and batting depth. This combination gives England flexibility for both attack and control during the middle overs.
Read more: ICC announces match officials for T20 World Cup group stage
England’s final eleven: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood. The team looks to start their Group C campaign strongly after observing Pakistan’s thrilling win against the Netherlands.