May 2, 2024
England's final preparations for next month's T20 World Cup in America and the West Indies will take the form of four consecutive home matches against Pakistan.
With a number of English players in good form in the ongoing Indian Premier League, the series, which will be played from May 22 to 30, will see players on the fringes of Jos Buttler's team start. This will be the last chance to stake a spot.
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Unanswered questions remain in the aftermath of the 2023 World Cup
England's white-ball program may be undergoing its toughest period of scrutiny since the short-form reform in 2015. They became the first country to host both the 50-over World Cup and the T20 World Cup at the same time, but the one-day tournament in India last winter had a very disappointing result, and the one-day tournament in the West Indies a month later. A shocking losing streak has put the project in jeopardy and the careers of many established international stars appear to be in jeopardy.
England entered the 2023 World Cup as the bookmakers' joint favorites to win the title, but their seventh-place finish highlighted a lack of nuance in their batting approach and a lack of depth in their already depleted bowling attack. became. Jonny Bairstow's return to the white-ball set-up was disappointing, Joe Root took a nasty hit and Liam Livingstone and captain Jos Buttler were almost unrecognizable.
Questions were understandably raised about the sustainability of England's gung-ho approach with the bat and whether they had essentially forced a group of T20 players into a much more physically and mentally demanding ODI format. . The existing pressure on these players will be compounded if Jos Buttler's side produce anything other than a convincing victory in front of the partisan Pakistani crowd that will be at Headingley for the T20 opener. It will get stronger.
IPL star may be able to provide a solution
However, there is hope for England in the form of the Indian Premier League, where some of the Three Lions' established domestic players could make a name for themselves on a global scale and be included in the four-game series in May. Became.
There is no shortage of competition for opening positions on England's batting card, but arguably the most in-form batsman in that department is Lancashire's Phil Salt, who had a fine season in India with Kolkata Knight Riders. Salt's uncanny ability to find the ropes in his opening six deliveries makes him a faster starter than previous XI starters such as Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan.
Salt will be a good punt for England's top scorer in the first innings when the market gets into full swing against Headingley, joining Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, who have scored centuries in this year's IPL. He's likely to be more expensive than players like , but otherwise struggle to be consistent.
Another name to note is Surrey's Will Jacks, who has been a standout in recent years in T20 Blast and Hundred competitions on home soil, but also at the Royal Challengers Bungalow. He has established himself on a wider scale with his record-breaking 41-ball century. last week. Jacks' ball-handling ability makes him an option in reverse innings and he could even replace the out-of-form Liam Livingstone when England play Pakistan later this month.