FOCUS ON T20

England look to replicate ODI success to boost T20 credentials

by Rob Johnston • Published on

Doing away with their rotation policy, England have picked a strong squad for the one-off match against Australia and then the three match series against India © Getty

Despite their general malaise in white ball cricket over the past 30 years, there have been some near misses in England's limited overs history. The World Cup final in 1992 against Pakistan and the Champions Trophy finals of 2004 and 2013 against West Indies and India respectively were three games they should have won. So too was the loss in the final of the World T20 at Eden Gardens against West Indies a little over two years ago when Carlos Brathwaite famously broke English hearts in the final over when his team look dead and buried. While that 2016 defeat hurt, it did at least prove that this current England team were on to something with the white ball.

But while their 50-over play has gone from strength to strength, England's form in T20Is since that night in Kolkata has been decidedly average. They have won five and lost eight of the 13 matches since then and have lost four of their last five. Their performances during the winter's Trans Tasman Tri-Series against Australia and New Zealand during the winter were, in the words of captain Eoin Morgan, "not good enough" and the T20 side has arguably gone backwards.

There are mitigating circumstances. England's focus over the last two years has quite rightly been on 50-over cricket with last summer's Champions Trophy and next year's World Cup seen as prime opportunities to register their first ever global tournament success in the 50-over game. England were knocked-out at the semi-final stage of the Champions Trophy but the 2019 World Cup is occupying most of their thoughts right now.

England have also played less T20I matches since the last World T20 than all the other Test match nations aside from Australia and South Africa - India have played double number England have - which means they have struggled to build up any sort of momentum. Added to which, they have rarely picked their strongest squad as they have rotated and rested players for ODI or Test match duties.

In all, England have used 21 players across the 13 games since the last World T20, giving debuts to six players and using the format as a way of introducing young players into the rigours of international cricket. Dawid Malan and Mason Crane made their Test debuts after first tasting England duty in T20 cricket while batsman Liam Livingstone received a call-up for the Test squad to New Zealand only after making his T20I debut.

Only three players - Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan and Jason Roy - have played in all of those 13 games while Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Joe Root have played a handful and others such as Liam Plunkett and Alex Hales have missed a third of the matches. Moeen Ali, one of England's best T20 players, has not played for the national team in the format for over a year and the lack of continuity may have held their T20 cricket back.

However, the next World T20 is just over two years away and coming sharply into focus. England have picked a strong squad for the one-off match against Australia and then the three match series against India. Moeen, Jonny Bairstow and Root return after missing the winter's tri-series and England are hopeful that Ben Stokes will play some part in the four matches after injury. Only Chris Woakes, out with a quad issue, and Mark Wood, rested, are unavailable.

It is a similar squad to the one which has moved to the top of the rankings in ODI cricket. Since the last World T20, the selectors have largely resisted the temptation to pick "horses for courses" selections based on performances in the domestic T20 competition. The claims of Kent's Joe Denly and Nottinghamshire's Riki Wessels with the bat and Samit Patel, also of Notts, as an all-rounder have so far been ignored. Jake Ball, the second highest-wicket taker in last season's Blast is, however, in this squad.

Is there a need for greater specialisation in England's group? Possibly but the current squad still has plenty of T20 pedigree. Six of the 14-man party played in the IPL this season including some for the first time such as David Willey and Plunkett while others such as Adil Rashid have been consistent performers at international level. Perhaps only Dawid Malan, who has scored four fifties in five T20Is, has reason to feel aggrieved at not being included.

There will be some changes to tactics and approach, though. England have confirmed they will open the batting with Buttler after his stellar performances at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals in this year's IPL when he scored five consecutive fifties. He has opened for England just once in T20Is, in 2016 against Sri Lanka, and made 73 not out, his top score at international level. In 28 T20 matches opening the batting during his career, Buttler averages a tick over 47 at the remarkable strike-rate of 154.

With Buttler opening, England have to choose between Roy, Hales and Root for the other positions in the top three and there is little doubt that Root has less T20 pedigree than the other two. Since the last World T20, his strike-rate in T20Is is just 100, pedestrian by today's standards, and he is still an inexperienced player in the shortest format. Root has played just 57 T20s whereas Buttler has played more than 220 and the Test captain's quest to get more T20 game time was thwarted when he wasn't picked up in the IPL auction. Root desperately wants to play T20 cricket but may be better off concentrating on the other two formats.

Willey's position as the first-choice left-arm seamer is also under threat from Surrey's Sam Curran who has made his Test and ODI debuts in the last month. Willey's record in T20Is since England lost the final of the World T20 is poor - six wickets at 44 at more than nine runs an over - although he has Big Bash and IPL experience. England will take a left-arm option to the next World T20 so the next two and half years will be a shoot-out between Willey, Curran and Reece Topley who has so far done well for the England Lions in their tri-series. Tymal Mills - one of the players who has made his T20I debut in the last two years - may also be in the mix.

England will also have a new coach next year after Trevor Bayliss moves on at the end of his contract. He has endorsed his deputy Paul Farbrace for the job and the matches against Australia and India are to all intents and purposes an audition for England's assistant coach as he takes charge of the team while Bayliss watches some domestic cricket. Bayliss advocates a splitting of coaching duties between white and red ball cricket and Farbrace would be a leading candidate to lead the limited overs side. Stokes spoke glowingly of Farbrace's influence at the weekend.

Although the 2019 World Cup remains England's main priority - certainly in limited overs cricket and perhaps even ahead of the Test side - the World T20 the following year in Australia is also a target. England have, after all, only won one global limited overs trophy - the World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010. The upcoming four matches are as good a time as any for England to start to replicate their one-day form in the shortest format.

© Cricbuzz

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