Had the blade of Carlos Brathwaite not flashed and connected four times in succession on that mad night in Kolkata, England would have entered the 2021 T20 World Cup as the defending champions. Three years later, Ben Stokes redeemed himself. If not for his blade, England would not have been the reigning ODI World Champions.
Fittingly, England, the top-ranked T20I side, begin their campaign against the defending champions West Indies, against whom they have a score to settle despite neither Stokes nor Brathwaite being part of their respective squads that bear the ‘favourite’ tag.
England have already faced a double blow when both Stokes and Jofra Archer opted out. The ruling out of Sam Curran dented them further. However, Eoin Morgan’s England are such a force in white-ball cricket that they still manage to field a potent unit and enter the tournament as the team to beat.
Since 2019, England have won eight out of their 10 T20I series, drawing against Pakistan in 2020 and losing to India earlier this year.
England squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup
Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler (vc & wk), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Sam Billings (wk), Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Travel reserves: Liam Dawson, James Vince, Reece Topley
Head coach: Chris Silverwood
T20 World Cup Editions Participated: All six editions since 2007
Best T20 World Cup results: Champions in 2010; Runners-up in 2016
ICC T20I Ranking: 1
SWOT analysis
Strengths: Batting has been England’s strength. Buttler, Roy and Bairstow form their backbone. And there are enough supporting casts in Malan, Moeen, Livingstone and, despite his poor form, Morgan.
Since 2020, England have the most wholesome batting numbers in the format, averaging 27.5 and striking at 142. Another hallmark of the English side is that they bat deep. It is safe to say that England are the most complete batting side in the tournament.
England’s batting potency has increased since Buttler began opening. In all T20, he averages 41 as opener, striking at 148, an improvement on his already impressive 27 and 141 as non-opener. For England, his average as opener rises to 51.
Livingstone has set the T20 circuit alight by smashing 1,255 runs this year at 39, striking at 155. He is also a handy spinner who can bowl both off- and leg-breaks, a vital addition in UAE conditions.
A lot has been spoken about Morgan’s form. But good things first. Since 2020, Morgan’s strike rate of 221 (at an average of 32) in the death overs is the fourth-best in T20 cricket. His strike rate of 162 is also the fourth-best for any middle-order batter in T20s since March 2019; the men above him are Andre Russell (188), Hardik Pandya (177) and Kieron Pollard (163). Yes, he belongs to that league.
Morgan’s leadership also keeps England ahead. A tactical man who relies data, match-ups and off-the-field planning, he has been key to England’s success. He knows his opponents better than them knowing England, which will come down to the right execution.
A week back, Moeen became the first English cricketer to feature in the IPL-winning XI. He was one of the stars for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In 2021, he averages 25 with bat, striking at 142, and 24 with ball, going at seven an over. Even in the warm-up match against India, Moeen’s unbeaten 20-ball 43 helped England to a strong total.
Weakness: England will miss Archer, Stokes and even Sam Curran for the latter’s experience in UAE conditions in the IPL.
The spin attack, comprising Rashid, Moeen and Livingstone, does not inspire a lot of confidence in conditions where the tweakers may define games. Rashid averages 14 in T20s in the UAE, but he looked flat in the only IPL game he played as well as the warm-up match against India. However, he came good against New Zealand.
But given this attack, can England do well against teams that play spin well?
You cannot jog through this section without mentioning Morgan’s batting form. He averaged 11 in the IPL, striking under 96. His batting numbers in the format in 2021 are alarming. He averages 17, striking at 118.
In a side without Stokes and Sam Curran, can England rely on Morgan as a finisher, especially when they have options in Moeen and Billings?
Opportunity: The hype around England is always bigger than their results. Morgan’s England have crafted a legacy in white-ball cricket since 2015, but their trophy cabinet has only the ODI World Cup, which, too was achieved only through a two-tier tie-breaker.
Despite missing two of their finest players, here is an opportunity for England to demonstrate their might and make the world believe in their method.
Despite his legacy, an axe looms over Morgan if he does not provide results. He has received every support from the board, even at the expense of compromising Test match performance. If he can turn it around with bat in a global tournament, it will be one of cricket's modern-day fairytales.
Threats: At times, too many options can lead to a confused approach in terms of decision-making. At CSK, M.S. Dhoni used Moeen brilliantly. But where does he fit for England? Does the position of No. 7 justify his form?
Alex Hales, meanwhile, continues to be ignored for non-cricketing reasons. Though power-hitting is not an issue for this English side, Hales’ numbers are too good to be dismissed: he has amassed 1,197 runs this year at 37, striking at 163.
Mills returns for England after four and a half years. Jordan is not Archer, and can be expensive at the death. Do England have enough options acing the death overs?
England’s strength lies in their scoring rate. The weary UAE surfaces are not what they prefer. Bairstow struggled in IPL 2020, as did Livingstone this season.
T20 numbers: Overall vs UAE
- Roy: Ave 28, SR 143 | In UAE Ave 30, SR 133
- Buttler: Ave 32, SR 144 | In UAE Ave 25, SR 137
- Malan: Ave 32, SR 128 | In UAE Ave 34, SR 119
- Bairstow: Ave 31, SR 138 | In UAE Ave 34, SR 123
- Livingstone: Ave 30, SR 145 | In UAE Ave 28, SR 132
- Morgan: Ave 26, SR 132 | In UAE Ave 26, SR 119
- Moeen: Ave 25, SR 141 | In UAE Ave 13, SR 107
- Billings: Ave 24, SR 130 | In UAE Ave 28, SR 135
If one looks at the strike rates of their leading batters, the numbers take a plunge in the UAE. England were also not at their best against India in the slower wickets in Ahmedabad in March, which led to their only series defeat in the last three years.
Trivia: England also lost their warm-up match against India. In fact, India have beaten England in all three T20I bilateral series since 2017, when Virat Kohli took over as white-ball captain.
The sluggish nature of the pitches in the UAE may hamper England’s progress. They are in a tough group where they play West Indies, Australia and South Africa.
Triumphing over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (most likely), the teams with potent spin attacks in these conditions, will require them to alter their hit-from-ball-one batting plan.
England’s likely XI: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wk), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Tymal Mills
England’s Fixtures:
- Saturday, 23 October: England vs West Indies, Dubai
- Wednesday, 27 October: England vs Bangladesh, Abu Dhabi
- Saturday, 30 October: England vs Australia, Dubai
- Monday, 1 November: TBD (most likely England vs Sri Lanka), Sharjah
- Saturday, 6 November: England vs South Africa, Sharjah