England t20 world champions (Photo Source: Twitter)
The T20 World Cup 2024 promises to be a thrilling cricketing spectacle, with teams from around the globe vying for supremacy in the shortest format of the game. Among the contenders, England stands tall, armed with a formidable squad and a burning desire to retain the coveted trophy. Since the humiliation in the 2015 ODI World Cup, the Three Lions revolutionized white-ball cricket and went on to win the ODI World Cup in 2019, and then defeated Pakistan to win the T20 World Cup in 2022.
This time around, the team is filled with destructive cricketers, who all can single-handedly change the course of any match. Be it skipper Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, or Will Jacks, all these cricketers play an aggressive brand of cricket, which has become the need of the hour as far as T20 cricket is concerned. Jofra Archer too is back and that makes England one of the favourites to win the tournament all over again.
Amid all the positives, there are plenty of things that the team management needs to address. The form of certain players is not looking good leading up to the mega tournament. Bairstow, Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, and to an extent Buttler too haven’t played their best cricket in IPL 2024.
Bairstow was even dropped at one stage while Livingstone was dealing with an injury, for which he had to leave the tournament early. His performance in the tournament too was ordinary. On the other hand, Harry Brook hasn’t played enough T20 cricket recently.
Meanwhile, England are in the same group with arch-rivals Australia, Namibia, Oman, and neighbours Scotland. The top two teams from the group are slated to make it to the Super 8, and the top four teams from there will qualify for the semi-final. Can England dream of getting there and eventually qualify for the finals? Here’s how the squad looks, and why they can qualify for the summit clash but it might just be a tad bit difficult for them.
Attention to detail- Strengths
England have a winning mentality and understands what the format demands. Many of their players are T20 specialists which will help the team massively in the global tournament. They also have four quality all-rounders, which is invaluable in the shortest format of the game. Meanwhile, Phil Salt is likely to open alongside Buttler and that’s a good thing as he was in terrific form in IPL 2024.
He has made 435 runs in 12 matches at a staggering strike rate of 182. Buttler meanwhile made 359 runs in 11 matches at 140.78. He looked in good touch against Pakistan in the second T20I at Edgbaston and was also named Player of the Match for his contribution. For England to win the competition, the skipper needs to keep up with the momentum and lead by example.
Meanwhile, Bairstow batted at the middle order against Pakistan in the second T20I, which is likely to be the same in the T20 World Cup. They are also likely to play an extra batter as the team is filled with all-rounders. It’s a massive plus point for the team but the management needs to make sure to give proper role clarity to all the players ahead of the tournament. However, given their experience, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Among bowlers, Jofra Archer is back and looks in great shape. He picked up two wickets in the second T20I against Pakistan and gave away just 28 runs in his four overs. He is very familiar with the conditions in West Indies and having him in the squad is a massive positive for England. Without him, the Three Lions looked lacklustre in the 2023 ODI World Cup, and having him back makes them an extremely dangerous side.
Achilles’ Heel- Weaknesses
There are plenty of issues that the team needs to deal with. The conditions in the West Indies and USA will favour the spinners and England’s spin department looks shaky. Adil Rashid picks for himself and will be key for their success but youngster Tom Hartley has no experience of playing T20I cricket, while Moeen and Livingstone aren’t in good form either. The team management should have handed Hartley his debut cap in the series against Pakistan but that didn’t happen.
Harry Brook too is undercooked. He hasn’t played enough T20 cricket and in the second and fourth T20Is against Pakistan, he made just 1 and 17, respectively. Meanwhile, Mark Wood was pulled out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload and that means the pacer hasn’t played any competitive game in almost three months.
The form and fitness of certain players aren’t the only concerns for England. They also have a poor record in the West Indies. They have lost six out of their last 10 T20I matches in the Caribbean islands and that needs to be taken care of. The conditions in the West Indies are very different from those of England and the players need to adapt fast to challenge for the title again.
The Crowning Moment- Opportunities
England have the opportunity to become the first team in history to win the T20 World Cup on three different occasions. Their middle order will play a vital role in that dream to come true. They might struggle to play a fearless brand of cricket in those conditions and it needs to be seen how well they can adapt. Given the fact that they won last time around, it depicts that they know the script and will have to run it again.
The Perfect Storm- Threats
A lot of England cricketers are injury-prone. Jofra Archer tops the list and the likes of Livingstone and Wood have too suffered many injuries in their career. To win the tournament, the management needs to make sure that every player remains fit until the final day. A lot of players have been playing nonstop cricket, so, injuries can happen and if it does, it can derail England’s momentum.