How are England shaping up for Cricket World Cup title defence after white-ball tour of Bangladesh? | Cricket News

England’s grueling but enjoyable winter is juxtaposed with a rather humiliating 3-0 series defeat to Bangladesh in the T20 series, but what have we learned from the white-ball tour as a whole?

Jos Buttler’s side opened strongly, securing a comeback victory by claiming a 2-1 ODI series win before a depleted T20 squad was swept aside in the shorter format.

With no white-ball cricket until August, how will the World Cup holders fare ahead of their 50-over title defense in India in October?

We assess some positives as well as concerns coming out of Bangladesh…

Sort of squad selection

The most contentious issue from the 3-0 T20I series defeat to end Bangladesh’s tour was the balance in England’s side, with the tourists lacking batting depth for the three T20 internationals.

Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Sam Billings and Liam Dawson were all given special dispensation to prioritize the ongoing Pakistan Super League, although Roy played and impressed on the ODI tour.

Having shorn their options for the T20s, England’s plight was not helped by the withdrawal of Will Jacks with a thigh complaint, himself the last addition to the tour after Tom Abell was pulled out before the first ODI due to injury.

Instead of calling up replacements, England went into the T20 series under the lights in the batting department, instead opting to give all the lessers – Sam Curran, Moeen Ali and 18-year-old debutant Rehan Ahmed – some greater exposure. for the sort of difficult conditions that will be similar to those presented in India come the 50-over World Cup in October.

“My one concern is whether or not you have the right balance in your team there, it’s almost like saying ‘we’re looking forward to the World Cup in the future,'” Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain said after England’s 3-0 series defeat. confirmed with a 16-run loss in the T20I final on Tuesday.

“Try also to keep an eye on this game, otherwise you send a message that this game is not as important as one in eight months’ time.”

“I see what they’re doing, but the short-term view and the long-term view, you’ve got to be balanced as a selector. These are not idiots, Matthew Mott, Jos Buttler, Rob Key – they know what they’re doing.

“But I just think not having the extra batter sends the wrong message. You have the three lions on your shirt; you’re playing for England and Bangladesh deserve respect.

“Put this game in front of you, and if you do that, the future will take care of itself.”

Who will open the batting?

The batting options may not be much in the T20 leg of England’s tour of Bangladesh, but they will certainly be spoiled for choice during the World Cup in October.

There is Joe Root to slot back at number three, Buttler is likely to be positioned at four and, let’s imagine now that Ben Stokes is out of ODI retirement (more on that shortly), then Liam Livingstone and Harry Brook should take it up. place in the middle order.

Where the low point is always at the top of the order.

One openers’ berth is undoubtedly reserved for Jonny Bairstow, arguably England’s best ODI batter, although we do not have a date for the return of a broken leg suffered in a freak golfing accident back in September.

Bairstow announced last month that the injury was “improving” and “we are on the right track”, so if he successfully returns to the set-up, there will be one place up for grabs as his partner at the top of the order, together. with a reserve batting spot in the 15-man squad.

Of the contending contingent, Jason Roy and Dawid Malan appear to be the most likely candidates to claim the space and then battle it out for the starting spot still opening the batting.

Roy was an integral part of England’s 2019 World Cup victory, but a patchy patch with the bat in the two years following that victory – averaging 27.81 in 26 matches, with just one hundred (against the Netherlands in June 2022) – he dropped out of side in 2022. There, however, has green shoots evidence of recovery in this new year tours of South Africa and Bangladesh, with Roy notching important hundreds in both.

Malan, meanwhile, continues to impress in the white ball format for England. He followed up his half-century in opening the tour to South Africa with a ton more (batting on three) in the first ODI in Bangladesh, as well as a fifty in the final T20I of the tour.

In terms of alternative candidates, Phil Salt has struggled to make the most of the opportunities presented to him, passing his fifty only once in an ODI or T20I opportunity since – an unbeaten 88 against Pakistan in September – and even Alex Hales got a chance at the end. year’s T20 World Cup with both hands, will the first ODI in over four years follow this summer? Perhaps it is impossible.

Positive for pacey Archer

The positives of Jofra Archer’s reintegration into the international fold are more than just the impact on England’s white ball fortunes.

Although Archer himself has suggested that he will only appear in one Ashes Test this summer – with injury preventing him from extending his 13-cap Test career by more than two years – England will surely be involved in a more immediate one.

Archer terrorized the Aussies on their final tour of 2019, taking 22 wickets at an average of 20.27 apiece, with one of the scariest spells of bowling in the game’s history including when he literally bounced Steve Smith at Lord’s, ruling him out. out of the third Test of the series with concussion after delivering a blow to his helmet.

The 27-year-old is just months back from well-documented elbow and back problems that kept him out of international contention for 22 months, and England head coach Mott has called for as much patience as he has. eased back on.

But there are signs in Bangladesh, building on the encouraging return in South Africa earlier in the year, that Archer is on the pathway back to the best pacey.

Afif Hossain’s dismissal to a devastating 92mph yorker, on his way to incredible figures of 3-13 in his second T20I, is surely the best illustration of Archer’s peak, and his tally of four wickets in the series will be even greater. but for some poor drops and poor fielding in the third T20I in particular.

But arguably the best aspect of this tour is the fact that Archer played in all three T20s, passing the toughest test of his new found fitness by playing in back-to-back games for the first time since his return.

Archer also combined for five wickets in two ODI appearances to end the series, with his death bowling mainly standing out. In fact, since returning from injury in January, Archer’s number in the final 10 overs of the innings was very good – eight wickets at an average of 4.75 and going at a measly economy of 4.75 overs.

The person who sent it that Super Over in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph will hopefully be on the biggest stage again later this year.

Curran continues to be a key player

Curran’s promotion up the order did not really pay dividends in Bangladesh, as he managed only 23 from 49 when batting in five in England’s third ODI loss and reached double figures (12) only once in three efforts in six T20s.

Moeen also contributed just 32 runs on three occasions which was the top five in the T20 series.

But both are still important members of England’s World Cup playing XI, let alone the squad, certainly placing their positions in the sevens and eights and with the ball where both have shown their value in Bangladesh – particularly Curran.

England’s Player of the Tournament winning the T20 World Cup last year, Curran has been impressive with the new ball in the two ODIs he has played, twice in the opener and thrice in the first two on his way to impressive figures. 4-29 in the second game of the series.

In the third, two wickets which open two overs – see the back of the Bangladesh openers – ended up almost par for sure for him in the 50-over format.

In the T20 series, Curran then showed unrivaled versatility by playing more of a role at the back end of the innings, stingily shoring up one end by mixing up pace and variation superbly.

With England sans Stokes (for now) in ODI cricket, they could do so by repeating Curran’s tournament-leading heroics when they are out in India later this year.

Will Stokes return to the ODI side?

We are still a long way from knowing Stokes’ intentions regarding his ODI future, the 31-year-old star having retired from the 50-over format last summer.

Stokes understood the sidelines when he grappled with the additional demands of the Test captain and the relentlessness of an increasingly jam-packed schedule.

Not much has changed in this regard in the last eight months since he made his decision, but you can imagine the allure of defending a World Cup crown that is so influential in securing it will prove too tempting a proposition to turn down – especially if it follows a hot Ashes success.

Not only that, but Stokes proved to be pivotal to England’s 2022 T20 World Cup success in November, using all his experience and shrewd cricket instincts to calmly see him over the line in the final against Pakistan with patience, not losing 52 from 49 balls.

Hussain said back in February: “I think after England win the Ashes this summer I’ll call Ben and say ‘Would you like to make it a World T20 win, an Ashes win and a World Cup win in the space of a year?’

“When he was at the top, loving life and loving the game, it was a case of, ‘Ben, do you want to take it one step further?’.

“We joke but I think deep down he knows he has a trump card if he needs it.”