The areas England must improve to take Australia’s T20 crown
- England’s preparation for this autumn’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh is going pretty smoothly.
Following a humiliating departure from the tournament’s semi-final in February 2023, they have defeated six-time world champions Australia in the Ashes T20 series, triumphed over India and New Zealand on the road, and opened the 2024 season with a 3-0 series victory over Pakistan.
The only notable setback was a shocking series loss to Sri Lanka at the close of the previous summer.
They have improved the attacking style of cricket that head coach Jon Lewis has ingrained, but they will need to play almost flawlessly to defeat Australia.
Although England is in good form and will play a home T20 series against New Zealand later in the summer to boost confidence, there are still some unanswered questions regarding certain aspects of their game. If these are resolved, though, England should be a serious contender to win a world championship for the first time since 2017.
England is willing to take defeat as they want to adopt a more aggressive strategy, but their opening pair’s consistency may need the greatest work.
England’s opening combination has seen significant ups and downs since the conclusion of the 2015 T20 World Cup, which resulted in Sophia Dunkley’s exclusion from the Pakistan series.
Over that period, the opening stand’s average has only been 20.82; of the 10 countries that qualified for the tournament this year, only Bangladesh and Scotland are below them. Australia leads the way at the top with 43.57, followed by South Africa with 41.53.
Despite the less dramatic difference in their average powerplay score over that time, they are still in fifth place with 43. Importantly, with scores of 46.6 and 44.8, respectively, they are marginally ahead of Australia and India, who will probably be their hardest rivals.
Heather Knight, Amy Jones, and Nat Sciver-Brunt are a dependable, elite trio that make up England’s middle order. Jones’ player of the series performance against Pakistan was especially noteworthy following a lackluster few years.
However, they are unable to complete the task and perform it consistently. While Wyatt and Dunkley established the relationship for a long period of time, Bouchier and Wyatt are still getting used to opening together. However, both players will need to perform well in Bangladesh to relieve burden on numbers four, five, and six.
The paradox of pace attack
Seamer Lauren Bell, 23, has improved tremendously since the legendary Katherine Sciver-Brunt retired in May 2023. However, she has typically led the pace attack alone and in the shortest format.
Since Bangladesh will host the next World Cup, England’s superiority in spin might compensate for the lack of speed alternatives, but that is a risk.
There are all-round possibilities, but Freya Kemp is currently undergoing a cautious return to bowling following a stress fracture, Danielle Gibson is still finding her feet in international cricket, and Nat Sciver-Brunt is bowling less frequently due to recent injury issues.
England employed three distinct opening bowling combinations in the three matches against Pakistan, indicating that they are still working out which is most effective.
Although Lauren Filer’s raw pace could be a useful asset on slow sub-continent grounds, her consistency is a cause for concern. Filer replaced the resting Bell in the third Twenty20 match at Headingley.
According to Katherine Sciver-Brunt, “genuine pace is generally their weakness against teams in the sub-continent.”
“Especially against someone who isn’t used to it, like Filer, who has the extra pace and height. If it’s off target, though, other teams, like Australia, will take advantage of the pace and send it everywhere.
“I love what she brings, seeing her charging in, but seam bowling gives you no margin for error in those conditions, and England’s seamers have a long way to go in terms of getting that consistency.”
Over the past year, England have also struggled with the number seven spot, but Gibson’s exploits in the field and at the bat against Pakistan have greatly bolstered her case.
In the first T20 at Edgbaston, she scored 41 off 21 balls, and in the Northampton match, she scored 18 off 9 balls. These were both significant contributions that helped England quickly achieve match-winning totals.
Kemp is a comparable, power-hitting all-rounder who, if she returns to bowling in time, will also be considered since she is left-handed, which is unusual for England.
England might prioritize the extra batting at seven in Bangladesh as well, relying mostly on Charlie Dean, Sophie Ecclestone, and Sarah Glenn’s spin to do the heavy lifting.
Not only are they second to Australia in terms of runs scored from the last five overs since the end of the last World Cup, with an average of 48 against the world champions’ 51, but ending the innings is another one of England’s strengths, despite recent inconsistency at seven.
However, this emphasizes how crucial it is to make changes at the top. If Knight, Sciver-Brunt, Jones, Gibson, or Kemp have the comfort of a strong platform behind them, they can unleash vicious attacks.
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