England confirm Sri Lanka tour as T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up

LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Wednesday revealed the schedule of their tour to Sri Lanka in 2026, which will serve as preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup later that year.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

The England men’s cricket team will play three ODIs on January 22, 24 and 27, followed by three T20Is on January 30, February 1 and February 3.

The venues for the matches will be revealed in due course.

The series will give England vital exposure to subcontinental conditions ahead of the showpiece event.

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England, having previously won the T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2022, will be eyeing their third title in the 2026 edition in India and Sri Lanka.

It’s worth noting that the tour of Sri Lanka will mark England’s first white-ball tour of the island in over seven years.

Their previous visit came in 2018, when they won the ODI series 3-1 and the solitary T20I.

The sides last clashed in the shortest format during the T20 World Cup 2022, where England beat Sri Lanka in the group stage before going on to lift the trophy.

Prior to the Sri Lanka tour, England are scheduled to face South Africa (September 2–14), Ireland (September 17–21) and New Zealand (October 18–November 1) in a string of white-ball series, before a five-Test Ashes battle in Australia from November 21 to January 8.

England Men’s Tour of Sri Lanka

• 1st ODI: January 22, 2026
• 2nd ODI: January 24, 2026
• 3rd ODI: January 27, 2026
• 1st T20I: January 30, 2026
• 2nd T20I: February 1, 2026
• 3rd T20I: February 3, 2026

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