England preview - ICC T20 World Cup 2022
SpeakingNick's preview of ICC ranked #2 England for the T20 World Cup.
England
ICC Ranking: 2
Matthew Mott, England’s newly appointed white ball coach, has ground to make up on his red ball counterpart, Brendon McCullum, after a pedestrian start to his tenure. Mott’s team endured series losses to South Africa in both ODI’s and T20I’s - looking far from settled. Previously, Mott had guided the Australian women’s team to an unassailable number-one world ranking. His cross-over to Men’s cricket will provide interesting debate.
Conversely, McCullum secured Test series wins against New Zealand, India, and South Africa. And was mighty close to an imperial knighthood for his services to "Bazball."
On the positive side of the ledger, and probably not a decision isolated to Mott; leaving Jason Roy out of the Pakistan bi-lateral series and World Cup squad sent a strong message to Mott’s charges. If form is temporary, then so is inclusion. A tough call that needed to be made.
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Batting
England’s three batting groups seem efficiently proportioned — that is: top three, middle four, and back four. Captain, Jos Buttler, will drive their powerplay output, and I expect this will be a fundamental factor for England in posting and chasing winning totals. The first view might suggest Ben Stokes will pilot the middle group; Stokes was short of T20I cricket over the last 18 months; leadership, though, will not trouble him. He also has able allies with him. The back four will have to be ready to go, as is the need in T20 cricket. Either Sam Curran or Chris Jordan will occupy the pivotal eight spot.
Dawid Malan is England’s only batsman in the ICC T20I rankings. Faster starts have become more the norm for Malan in the last 12 months, quietening the busy-bee analysts who have questioned his speed out of the blocks. His left-hand bias compliments Buttler and Alex Hales in the powerplay overs and gives opposition spin issues in the early overs out of the powerplay. As said, I suspect Buttler will be dominant in the early overs. Likewise, Hales will also be a handful if and when he gets set. Phil Salt provides a dependable alternative.
Ben Stokes provides compelling discussion around his place in the team and role. He is likely to start at four - a more facile assumption without Jonny Bairstow being available - having played minimal cricket in this format recently, the question is, will he be able to provide the required impetus from a crucial batting position? The four-spot demands a low dot-ball percentage, accurate gap-hitting, and boundaries from the spin overs. Of course, Stokes is capable of all that; can he deliver consistently, though? After Stokes: Harry Brook will be energetic and imaginative in equal doses - Brook should provide an enthralling case study throughout the tournament. Moeen Ali is a uniquely mercurial player in every sense of the word. And the increasingly highlighted closing spot will be coveted by Liam Livingstone - a Barrow-in-Furness native, no less!
Sam Curran and Chris Jordan will compete for the last all-rounders' slot. Either of them is capable of batting eight - I would weigh their batting measures in Curran’s favour. His impish imagination with bat and ball could be the secret sauce needed for an otherwise predictable, yet efficient, recipe. A decision for Rob Key to ponder, who is not normally averse to palatable recipes.
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Bowling
Australia is conducive to wrist spin. Heard this before? Yes, I know - ad nauseam. It did foster the world’s best practitioner though, and he was the leading advocate of this compelling art-form. In Adil Rashid, England have a highly skilled leg spinner, who has also been at the centre of their bowling group for some time now. It's hard not to like his whirling approach. Rashid looks Ikea-built for leg spin, his repertoire is wide and varied, and his control is there to match. He has plenty to ponder.
Front-end bowling doesn't shape as a problem for England. Reece Topley will take the new ball, he offers height and a left-arm bias as pros, and it's likely we might see the cons the more he plays. Chris Woakes is also a front-end option, swinging away from right-handers and hitting hard lengths. David Willey can offer left-arm swing with the new ball, and is a versatile middle, and late overs option. Lastly, Ben Stokes could also be used in this role, as could Sam Curran if selected.
Rashid provides wrist spin, and Moeen Ali will offer excellent match ups to left-handers with his off spin. Ali should not be underestimated in this format - he has a mountain of domestic experience to back up his international credentials. Oh, and there's more! The dude from Barrow-in-Furness - those that know Barrow-in-Furness should be smiling - imitates Sachin Tendulkar with ball in hand, switching between leg spin and off spin dependent on the batter. This strategy does not fill me with confidence at this level!
Last piece of the puzzle is pace through the middle of the innings. Ah, and those pesky death overs which England have not negotiated well in previous tournaments. Mark Wood — an Ashington native, remember Steve Harmison — will do what he does through the middle: hustle and bustle, bowl super quick, and be competitive in every ball - no questions asked. Thinking about the death overs - 18, 19 and 20 - it really is a poor mans lot. Yet, so important. Actually wanting the role might be 80 percent of the equation, the remaining 20 percent left to luck. I believe whoever has the ball in hand at that time just needs to know he is playing with house money. This will sound irresponsible: someone has to do it, so what is there to lose? Play the odds, and of course, back your skills.
I suspect both Sam Curran and Chris Jordan will be charged with this onerous task at different stages of the tournament, possibly Ben Stokes also. If the final were tomorrow, I would optimistically place trust in Curran. Watch and wait. If there is any solace in this space — most teams should feel the same uncertainty.
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England:Â Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Alex Hales. Standby Players: Liam Dawson, Richard Gleeson, Tymal Mills.
Coach: Matthew Mott
That’s it for England. More to follow on the rest.
As always, thank you for being here.
