England Cricket: Will Harry Brook’s team compete for the 2027 World Cup?

If there is a question about the England side, who will fill the overseas places in the XI?

With the World Cup taking place against a strong deck in South Africa and Zimbabwe, England will continue with three fast bowlers supported by Curran.

Spearhead Jofra Archer is an automatic choice, assuming he is fit, with Gus Atkinson unscathed in his two matches against India, taking 3-50 in Cardiff and reaching fourth place at Lord’s Economy in an under-six absence.

The third slot is up for grabs, with neither Josh Mlas nor Saqib Mahmood cementing their place in the side.

Tongue took one wicket in two matches and was costly at Lord’s in a five-run defeat of 43, while Mahmood took 2-52 in Cardiff but turned to Tongue for the series finale.

Bridon Carsey has returned to the squad for this series after recovering from wrist and elbow injuries that kept him out of international cricket, while the selectors have backed Jamie Overton’s all-round skills and he could return after recovering from a thigh injury sustained in the Indian Premier League.

England will expect at least one seamer to go down with injury in the five-match Ashes series before the World Cup and will need a strong squad ready to go into the tournament squad.

There is little concern about spinner Adil Rashid, who has had a quiet 2026, taking eight wickets in ODIs and just one in this series.

The 38-year-old’s economy rate is consistent with his recent efforts, with less than six remaining, he can still claim to be England’s biggest threat at 11-40 overs – having taken 32 of 72 wickets in that period since the start of last year.