There might be a history of England cricket that has seen a lot of heartbreaks but the present is where they have thrived a lot. They will also be the defending champions going into the T20 World Cup and will be looking to give their best performance in this edition. The Poms also have a chance to make it a third title in this edition making them the side with the most T20 World Cup titles.
The England team might not have had the best tournament in the ODI world cup, but in T20’s they are one of the best teams in the rankings and have had some amazing performances in the format. It will be interesting to see how they approach their title defence with Jos Buttler taking the reins once again looking for his second consecutive T20 World Cup title.
Here is the SWOT analysis of the England team who will be defending their title in the upcoming tournament:
England squad: Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jos Buttler(c)(wk), Jonny Bairstow(wk), Philip Salt(wk), Jofra Archer, Tom Hartley, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Mark Wood.
Strengths
1. A lot of explosive and aggressive batters in the ranks
The England team has got a lot of attacking players in the ranks that can create problems on any bowling attack that will come against them. The likes of Buttler, Livingstone and Jacks can take the game away from their aggressive style of batting when needed.
2. Attacking spin options in Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali
This might be one of their biggest strengths in the England team with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid who have the knack of taking wickets at regular intervals. They do have Tom Hartley in the squad as well, but it is these two who will most likely have the biggest role in the middle overs for the team.
Weakness
1. Lack of proper death bowlers
There is no doubt that England have some great pacers in their squad, but none of these players are known to be that effective in the death overs. This could be a problem in the tight games as well where they will need bowlers to step up.
2. Middle order batters out of form
This will be a problem for the team with Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Moeen Ali being either out of the side or completely inconsistent. This will be a big worry for England since they will most likely go into this world cup as one of their first choices.
Opportunities
1. Tom Hartley’s dream debut
Tom Hartley was impressive in the Test series against India where he not only took wickets with the ball but also got some crucial runs with the bat. Hartley has got decent numbers in T20’s domestic and has a chance to make his debut in T20 internationals as well. We are not sure how he will be used in the tournament, but if he does it will be a great chance to perform in a big tournament.
2. Jofra Archer return could help the side
Jofra Archer was one of the top pacers for the side early on with his ability to bowl quick. His return into the squad will be something England will be hoping he will come back in form. This will also be the pacers opportunity to make a comeback after a long break due to injury. If he comes out great England will have better chances of defending their title.
Threats
1. Opening dilemma
England have taken the likes of Ben Duckett, Jonny Bairstow, Philip Salt along with skipper Jos Buttler. These players have established themselves as opening batters. England will have a dilemma of who to choose as an opener which can also cause imbalance in the squad.
2. Players with longer breaks could be rusty
This could be the bigger problem with players like Archer and Mark wood having been out of the game for a long time due to injury. This can lead to problems going into the tournament since there are chances they might struggle to get their rhythm to play their best cricket on the day and take wickets in the middle. England will be hoping this will not be the situation going forward.