England captain Harry Brook hits a six throughout a five-run loss to South Africa within the second ODI at Lord’s. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON:
England are searching for a contemporary begin on the T20 World Cup after their Ashes debacle and a sequence of failures at international white-ball occasions, with captain Harry Brook below scrutiny on and off the sphere.
The 2010 and 2022 champions, who boast a powerful roster of damaging batsmen and match-winning bowlers, are aiming to win the trophy for a report third time.
Brook takes cost at a worldwide match for the primary time since he changed Jos Buttler as white-ball skipper final 12 months.
Buttler stood down following England’s early exit from the 50-over Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
That got here after an embarrassing title defence on the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023 and a semi-final exit on the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and the USA.
The 26-year-old Brook, one in all England’s most gifted all-format gamers, has lately been within the headlines for the unsuitable causes.
Final month the Yorkshireman apologised after he was concerned in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer throughout England’s tour of New Zealand earlier than the current Ashes sequence in Australia, admitting to a “horrible mistake”.
Brook was fined and warned over his conduct by the England and Wales Cricket Board, admitting he was lucky to maintain his job.
Now the richly gifted run-scorer has an early probability to shift the main target again on to his batting as he prepares for England’s opener in opposition to Nepal in Mumbai on Sunday.
Batting firepower
England boast a wealth of explosive expertise on the prime of the batting order, with Buttler, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett all choices as openers on the match in India and Sri Lanka.
Buttler is now 35, however stays one of the feared gamers in limited-overs cricket and is a seasoned campaigner within the Indian Premier League, which can be 20 overs per facet.
Within the center order, Brook and Tom Banton have the flexibility to vary the sport within the blink of an eye fixed whereas rising expertise Jacob Bethell is one in all a number of versatile all-rounders.
If there’s a potential weak spot, it could among the many tempo bowlerss.
Mark Wooden is unavailable due to damage whereas Jofra Archer, one other categorical fast, has solely simply returned after struggling a facet pressure in the course of the Ashes.
However Josh Tongue has been rewarded for his spectacular performances in Australia with inclusion within the 15-man squad.
Luke Wooden and Sam Curran present England with left-arm tempo choices, whereas fellow seamer Jamie Overton, can be harmful with the bat.
Vastly skilled leg-break bowler Adil Rashid leads the spin assault, with all-rounders Liam Dawson, Will Jacks and Rehan Ahmed giving Brook a variety of slow-bowling choices.
England head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director of males’s cricket Rob Key might be determined for achievement after the current 4-1 Ashes thumping raised critical questions on their respective futures.
England will begin the match with their tails up after beating co-hosts Sri Lanka in each one-day worldwide and T20 sequence — they’ve misplaced only one T20 sequence because the 2024 World Cup.
There was a big turnover of personnel since England’s white-ball purple patch, throughout which they claimed the 2019 50-over World Cup and the 2022 T20 crowns.
However Brook nonetheless has loads of expertise to name upon and, if England’s new era additionally make their mark, his workforce might problem for one more title.
