England’s T20 World Cup campaign was almost up-ended by a near-miss against Nepal in their tournament opener, which came down to one hit needed off the final ball of the game.
In the end, Sam Curran held his nerve to bowl a perfect final over, and England were saved from another slip-up in a global competition. Coming off the back of a 3-0 T20I series win over Sri Lanka, there was a surprising rustiness to a team still uncertain of what makes them gel, which must be greater than the sum of their parts if they are to mount a challenge at silverware.
Next up, they will face West Indies before needing to fend off Scotland and Italy to make it to the Super Eights. While they are favourites to make it through to the next stage, there are learnings England must take from their Nepal scare to keep their blood pressure in check before the bigger challenges to come.
Bankers are the bedrock of silverware
England’s specialists almost all had off days against Nepal. Jos Buttler and Phil Salt were out for 26 and 1 respectively, while Tom Banton – having made a water-tight case for the No.4 slot against Sri Lanka, was out to his fifth ball at the crease. Only Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook were able to support the innings, on a pitch that didn’t play as difficult as initially thought. That trend of sluggishness continued with the ball. Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid, the two lynchpins of the attack, both conceded more than 10 runs an over. Rashid bowled the most expensive wicketless spell of three or more overs of his career. Equally, Luke Wood, while not as established a member of the side as the rest, almost conceded the match in its penultimate over.
That there was still just enough in the tank is significant, and England’s approach to T20 cricket has been to cultivate enough depth with both bat and ball so that there’s always someone left. But getting their bankers right will be crucial to putting together a repeatable method over a tournament littered with opportunities to slip up.
All-rounder balance working... for now
That being said, strength in depth was the difference between winning and losing against Nepal. Sam Curran, who wouldn’t have been the pick to bowl out at the death in England’s T20 World Cup opener even two months ago, stepped up. Similarly, when England were sliding, Will Jacks played the perfect finisher innings to keep their total competitive. In that context, England have doubled down by picking Jamie Overton for the West Indies game, dropping Luke Wood as a powerplay bowler to leave that responsibility up for grabs. The balance of being able to rely on their all-rounders, while also having enough up front against more skilful opposition will be a challenge England will face consistently through the tournament.
Catches win matches
Over a winter in which England’s catching has come under scrutiny, the expansion of their backroom staff to include a fielding coach was notable at the start of their white-ball series in Sri Lanka. The two chances that stuck in overs 15 and 16 of the chase were key in the end result. Banton clung on at deep cover to see off Dipendra Singh Airee just after he’d whacked Adil Rashid for consecutive boundaries, while Salt took a tough chance to get the other set batter, Rohit Paudel. Simple but significant in the wider context of England’s winter.
Fear of the unknown
England have routinely struggled against oppositions they should beat in the group stages of T20 World Cups. It was Scotland in the last edition, when rain saved them as Michael Jones and George Munsey were tearing into their front-line attack. It was Ireland in 2022, who were the only side to beat England in that edition. Then there was the Netherlands twice, in 2009 and 2014. Before the weekend, England had never played Nepal in a T20I, and they will be faced with the same unknown when they turn out against Italy next week. The only T20I England have ever played against Scotland is that truncated game in Bridgetown almost two years ago. England should get through Group C, but that faltering against unfamiliar opponents is something to bear in mind.
Brook’s big moment
This is the first big on-field test of Harry Brook’s white-ball captaincy. Coming off the back of a "horrendous" few weeks following the revelations from his night out in Wellington, a solid World Cup performance would go a long way to banish remaining doubts about whether Brook is the right fit for the top job. He notched up some ticks against Nepal, standing up with the bat amidst a collapse, and holding out against the run of play with his frontline options faltering at the death. England have trialled using walkie talkies to allow Brook and McCullum to communicate during drinks breaks, and perhaps it’s that support from his biggest backer which provides the reassurance Brook needs. At a time where England’s communication skills have come under question, establishing a direct line of communication in-play might be key as tournament pressure ramps up.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
