London [UK], : As Jos Buttler’s England team fly out to begin their efforts to retain the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title they won in 2022, they have some issues to consider. Buttler had plenty of reasons to be cheerful as he led his team on to their flight to Barbados on Friday. Despite poor weather in England washing out two of the scheduled T20I matches, his side won their series against Pakistan by 2-0, and he finished as Player of the Series, thanks mostly to an impressive 84 runs off 51 balls in the second match.
But he also has some serious thinking to do as he prepares his side for the task of defending the trophy they won in Australia two years ago. Here we take a look at some of the things he might be mulling over ahead of England’s opening match, against Scotland on Tuesday.
*How will they cope with the conditions?
It has been cold and rainy in England so far this cricketing summer – the weather in the Caribbean and the USA will be very different.
*Are they set to peak at the right time?
Leaving aside the English climate, missing out on half their scheduled warm-up matches in the T20 format is less than ideal preparation for a tournament they hope to win. Before the 2022 edition Down Under, England played a mammoth 11 matches – a seven-match series in Pakistan, then four in Australia, two against the hosts and one against Pakistan again.
It is worth noting, though, that the three players who are in contention to open the batting – Buttler himself, Phil Salt, and Will Jacks – are sharp and match-fit thanks to their performances and progress in the IPL, so run-making at least should not be too much of an issue.
And Buttler has gone on record as saying that he thinks his squad are “in a good place” – although admitting it would have been nice to have two further warm-up matches.
*How will the spinners fare?
Perhaps unexpectedly, the spin attack is looking the least of Buttler’s concerns. Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone have looked solid against Pakistan despite the conditions not suiting them. The only worry here may be the knee injury with which Livingstone returned from the IPL.
What should the pace attack look like?
England has some fine quick bowlers who are looking in form, but have had significant injury problems in recent years – Mark Wood played in the fourth match against Pakistan, his first T20 of any kind for over a year and picked two wickets; while Jofra Archer, who had been out for 14 months as he struggled with stress fractures to the elbow plus a back issue. He took three wickets in the series against Pakistan as well. Then there is Reece Topley – who missed out on the 2022 triumph after hurting his ankle in a freak accident in practice. Topley and Wood played a match each in the truncated Pakistan series – perhaps rotation might be the way England opts to go.
What is their confidence like?
With limited preparation as a group, it may be more difficult to shrug off memories of England’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup under-performance last year, in which they could not defend their crown and finished seventh with just three wins in nine games. Buttler admitted earlier, this summer “dented” the collective English pride. On the flip side, of course, it offers him and coach Matthew Mott a chance of speedy redemption if they can retain their T20 crown.
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