Jacob Bethell’s expected move to the top of England’s ODI order has turned the India series squad into a sharper statement on Zak Crawley’s white-ball standing.
The ECB confirmed a 16-player group for the three-match Metro Bank ODI series, with Harry Brook captaining and uncapped Sussex all-rounder James Coles included. Josh Tongue, yet to make his ODI debut, is also named, while Gus Atkinson and Saqib Mahmood return.
Bethell shift raises Crawley question
The headline selection edge is Bethell. The Times reports he is set to open with Ben Duckett, leaving Crawley out after a brief ODI return against Sri Lanka. For England, that is not a small tweak. It points to a side looking for left-right tempo, middle-over flexibility and a route to keep Bethell central across formats.
It also deepens Brook’s leadership audit. ReadCricket has already tracked how Shubman Gill’s India ODI squad brings senior weight through Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. England’s answer is younger, faster and more experimental.
Mahmood takes three before the rain hits ☔ Click below for highlights from Durham:
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 1, 2026
ODI schedule tightens the stakes
The ODI series starts at Edgbaston on 14 July before moving to Sophia Gardens on 16 July and Lord’s on 19 July. That gives England little time to separate T20 rotation from 50-over planning.
If Bethell opens and Coles is blooded, this squad will read less like a holding pattern and more like Brook’s first serious attempt to reshape England’s next ODI core.
