World Cup questions raised after England’s series win in Pakistan
Following England’s highly entertaining Twenty20 series victory in Pakistan, which was clinched on Sunday, the competition for places at this month’s World Cup XI has intensified.
England named their travelling party to Australia last month, before the tour to the subcontinent, and included 15 players plus three reserves.
But the performance of Matthew Mott’s team in the 4-3 series win over Pakistan has added to the selection questions ahead of the showpiece event.
Stokes selection
He’s the Test captain with a tendency to explode at the crease but Ben Stokes isn’t necessarily nailed on for a spot in England’s first game against Pakistan.
Not only does he need to fend off players like Harry Brook, but he needs to prove himself in his own right.
There’s no denying the Durham all-rounder is a talismanic figure but his T20 international stats are his worst among the three formats of cricket.
His high score of 47 not out is low among the company he would keep in the England middle order so there is some work to be done against Australia next week.
He’s almost undroppable but if push comes to shove and runs are expected, Stokes could in fact be a casualty of this side.
Open sesame
Phil Salt and Alex Hales – who are both set to travel to Australia – opened six out of the seven England innings in Pakistan. Will Jacks joined Salt for the remaining T20.
Other than his 88 not out in the sixth match, Salt failed to get above 30 in the series while Hales was unable to match his first match total of 53 in the series.
Pakistan offered a lesson in opening, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan generally stable throughout the series and piling on runs in the most part. This is something England need to learn in all formats.
It looks as if England’s openers will be a combination of Salt, Hales and captain Jos Buttler but whichever way Mott’s men line up, they need to start consistently scoring runs.
England death bowling
Of course, batting is only half of the job when competing in a T20 – bowling can change the course of a game within minutes.
England are blessed with talented bowlers throughout the side but the Pakistan series showed how those can often be nullified by pitch quality and conditions.
Reece Topley performed well in Asia while the likes of Mark Wood and Chris Jordan are likely to be starters in key games at the World Cup.
England’s death bowling has improved since that infamous Stokes over against the West Indies in the final of the 2016 World Cup, but it will need to be consistent to reap rewards this time.
The depth is there, and it’s of little concern to England, but those individuals will still need to turn up and perform after a couple struggled to do so in Pakistan.
England head to the World Cup as one of the favourites and off the back of an impressive series victory against Pakistan.
They have individuals who can change games in an instant with both the bat and the ball, but how the side come together after their recent success is yet to be seen.
A World Cup is a tough task in Mott’s first year as coach, and beating England’s semi-final appearance last time out will be a key objective for the Australian.