Aneurin Donald in T20I squad Henry Crocombe in ODI squad for England vs Sri Lanka

Donald, the 29-year-old top-order batter from Swansea, has a strike rate of 214 in T20 cricket for Derbyshire and caught England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum’s eye when he top-scored for Trent Rockets in last month’s Hundred final with 38 off 19. He replaces his fellow Welshman Phil Salt in the squad, who will miss the series with a minor quadriceps injury.

Salt is one of three England white-ball regulars who will miss the series, along with Jacob Bethell (knee) and Sam Curran (groin). Bethell is also expected to miss October’s tri-series in Pakistan with a cartilage injury that has ruled him out since July, while Curran had surgery last month after captaining MI London in the Hundred.

Tom Banton (quadriceps) and Will Jacks (appendicitis) are both available after recent absences, while Jamie Overton returns after missing July’s white-ball series against India. Gus Atkinson and Ben Duckett have both won T20I recalls after impressing in the Hundred, while Rehan Ahmed and Luke Wood drop out of the squad.

Crocombe, who has taken hat-tricks in successive County Championship matches for Sussex, was briefly called up to England’s Test squad in June as cover. He has a relatively thin white-ball record, but England selector Marcus North described him as “a player we have had an eye on all summer”. He will join Surrey next season on a three-year deal.

Crocombe, Overton, Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox are added to the ODI squad that beat India 2-1 in July, while Brydon Carse, James Coles, Saqib Mahmood, Bethell and Curran drop out. Coles and Mahmood remain in the T20I squad, while Carse has been left out as the Cricket Regulator and the police continue to investigate his night out in Derby.

“Aneurin Donald and Henry Crocombe are two promising players who have earned their places on the back of impressive performances in domestic cricket,” North said. “Aneurin has had an exceptional season for Derbyshire in the Vitality Blast and also with Trent Rockets in the Hundred while Henry is a player we have had an eye on all summer.”

Donald, left Glamorgan aged 21, initially moving to Hampshire before he joined Derbyshire in 2023, but his call-up is a significant moment for the club. They have not had an academy product in an England squad since 2013, when James Harris was picked for a T20I series against New Zealand, and their last homegrown player to win a cap was Simon Jones in 2005.

Glamorgan are on an upward trajectory after paying down their substantial debts over the past decade. They won the One-Day Cup in both 2021 and 2024, and despite an innings defeat to Somerset this week, they should avoid relegation in their first season back in Division One of the County Championship since 2005.

Bethell’s absence from the ODI squad leaves England looking for yet another opening partner for Duckett in 50-over cricket, having already cycled through Salt, Jamie Smith, Zak Crawley and Rehan since the start of last year. Banton, Cox and Jacks are the obvious candidates.

England won 4-0 in their T20I series against India earlier this summer to briefly move past them and go top of the ICC’s rankings, and won the ODI series 2-1. They beat Sri Lanka in both white-ball formats earlier this year away from home.

Sri Lanka picked their squads for the series earlier this week, with Charith Asalanka named vice-captain. The first T20I in Southampton starts 48 hours after the scheduled finish of next week’s third Test against Pakistan, though England have named seven players in both squads.

England white-ball squads vs Sri Lanka:

T20I squad: Harry Brook (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Liam Dawson, Aneurin Donald, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.

Changes from India T20Is:
IN: Atkinson, Donald, Duckett, Overton
OUT: Rehan Ahmed, Jacob Bethell (injured), Sam Curran (injured), Phil Salt (injured), Luke Wood.

ODI squad: Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Tom Banton, Sonny Baker, Jos Buttler, Jordan Cox, Henry Crocombe, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Josh Tongue.

Changes from India ODIs:
IN: Baker, Cox, Crocombe, Overton
OUT: Bethell (injured), Carse, Coles, Curran (injured), Mahmood.

Matt Roller is a senior correspondent at Cricinfo. @mroller98

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