Mason Crane’s only England Test was in Sydney in 2018, and he is back for the ODI tri-series in Pakistan
England have named a 16-man squad under Harry Brook for this month’s ODI tri-series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with Jos Buttler injured and Jofra Archer rested.
Oct 4, 2026
Mason Crane was 20 when he played his only Test, in Sydney in January 2018. He is 29 now, plays for Glamorgan rather than Hampshire, and has never played an ODI. That could change this month. England have picked him in a 16-man squad for the ODI tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which runs from 18 to 31 October in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Harry Brook captains the side. Jos Buttler is out with the hamstring injury he picked up in the second ODI against Sri Lanka last month, and Jofra Archer has been rested.
Why Crane, and why now
Crane had a big summer for Glamorgan, with bat as much as ball. He took 34 County Championship wickets and made his first two first-class hundreds, plus a 99, and the county named him their player of the year. He is the first Glamorgan player picked in an England ODI squad since Simon Jones in 2005.
“Mason Crane has been performing consistently for Glamorgan across both formats during the summer,” national selector Marcus North said. “He’s an experienced, high-class leg-spinner who thoroughly deserves another opportunity at international level.”
The man who misses out is Rehan Ahmed. The 22-year-old leg-spinner played the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka, took three wickets for 94 runs and made two and nought with the bat, and Liam Dawson replaced him for the decider. England won that series 2-1.
Pakistan in October should suit a wrist-spinner, and Adil Rashid is back too after the hand injury that kept him out of the Sri Lanka series. Rashid is still England’s first-choice leg-spinner, so I would not expect to see both in the same XI often. Crane looks more like the man in reserve. Still, a month in Pakistan alongside Rashid is a decent way to find out whether he can do a job in the 50-over side.
Three uncapped players
Crane is one of three players in the squad without an ODI cap. The other two are Sussex pair James Coles and Henry Crocombe, who were both around England’s white-ball squads during the summer.
Sam Curran returns after groin surgery in August. Jacob Bethell is still injured and is not in the squad.
The full squad: Harry Brook (captain), Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, James Coles, Jordan Cox, Mason Crane, Henry Crocombe, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Josh Tongue.
The schedule
Pakistan play Sri Lanka in the opener in Rawalpindi on 18 October. England’s first game is against Pakistan at the same ground on 20 October, followed by Sri Lanka there on 22 October. The tournament then moves to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where England play Pakistan on 25 October and Sri Lanka on 29 October. The top two meet in the final in Lahore on 31 October.
Each side plays the other two twice, so England get four games to make the final. The format means every game counts for something, which is more than you can say for most bilateral ODI series.