T20 World Cup: England team profile

bet365 News Team Published: 28 Sep 22 15:51

England have named a star-studded squad, led by captain Jos Buttler, for their bid to win the T20 World Cup 2022 title in Australia.

The reigning 50-over world champions were among the favourites for last year's T20 World Cup in the UAE but their run ended with a dramatic semi-final defeat to New Zealand.

Inspirational white-ball captain Eoin Morgan retired from international cricket in June and his successor Buttler has an experienced, talented side who look to have a decent chance of claiming England's second T20 World Cup crown.

What:	T20 World Cup 2022
Where:	Australia
When:	16th October – 13th November, 2022
How to watch:	Sky Sports
Odds:	India 3/1, Australia 3/1, England 4/1, Pakistan 7/1, South Africa 8/1, New Zealand 8/1

What is England's T20 World Cup record?

England have appeared at all seven T20 World Cups but they failed to make the semi-finals in four of their first five campaigns.
The exception was the 2010 tournament in the Caribbean where, under the captaincy of Paul Collingwood, they beat Australia by seven wickets in the final.

A second title seemed to be within their grasp in the 2016 final until Carlos Brathwaite of the West Indies hit four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes to seal a dramatic victory and England's death bowling again let them down in last year's semi-final defeat to New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.

Position	Year
Winner	2010
Runner-up	2016
Semi-finals	2021

Who is in England's group?

England are in Group 1, where they face tournament hosts Australia, New Zealand, who beat them in the 2021 semi-finals, and Afghanistan, as well as two qualifiers.

England should be confident of making a winning start against Afghanistan on 22nd October, the same day Australia take on New Zealand in a repeat of last year's final.

Their second game is against one of the Group B qualifiers - West Indies, Ireland, Scotland or Zimbabwe - before a clash with defending champions Australia in Melbourne on 28th October.

Who is England's coach?

Australian Matthew Mott was appointed as England's white-ball coach in May, having helped Australia Women to Ashes and World Cup victories at the start of 2022.

A former first-class cricketer for Queensland and Victoria, Mott had coaching spells with New South Wales, IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and Glamorgan, and England's managing director Rob Key explained that his "incredible coaching journey" was a major factor in his appointment.

Star players

Captain:	Jos Buttler
Big-hitting batter:	Liam Livingstone
Death bowler:	Mark Wood
Matchwinner:	Moeen Ali
Breakout star:	Harry Brook

Who is England's captain?

Buttler succeeded Eoin Morgan as captain of England's ODI and Twenty20 teams this summer, having served as vice-captain in both white-ball and Test cricket.

Buttler already had a huge role to play in the T20 side, keeping wicket and opening the batting, and he admitted he was "quite a young captain" after July's ODI series defeat to India.

However, he is renowned for his cricketing brain and calm temperament, excelling for Rajasthan Royals in the pressure-cooker environment of the IPL, and he should benefit from the presence of Test captain Ben Stokes in the squad.

Who is England's potential matchwinner?

There are matchwinners throughout the England side with Buttler, Stokes, Liam Livingstone and fast bowlers Mark Wood and Reece Topley all capable of T20 fireworks.

However, Moeen Ali's influence should not be overlooked. The off-spinner took seven wickets for 77 runs in 14 overs at last year's World Cup, also top-scoring with 51 not out in the semi-final against New Zealand.

One of the cleanest hitters in the team, against both pace and spin, Moeen's T20 batting feats this year include 63 off 28 balls against the West Indies, 52 off 18 against South Africa and 55 not out off 23 against Pakistan and the 35-year-old remains a class act with bat and ball.

Who could be England's breakout star?

England have an experienced squad - including the standby list - and 13 of their 18 players are in their 30s but 23-year-old batter Harry Brook is a precocious talent.

Brook has wowed observers with some scintillating innings for Yorkshire, Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League, and he has already shown his quality at international level.

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He played a classic finisher's innings of 42 not out from 25 deliveries in England's first T20 in Pakistan in September and showcased an astonishing array of shots in a 35-ball knock of 81 in the third game of that series.

How far can England go at the T20 World Cup 2022?

England won their first four group games at last year's T20 World Cup, bowling out West Indies for just 55 in their opener and beating Australia, who went on to lift the trophy, by eight wickets with 50 balls to spare.

Injuries to opener Jason Roy and death bowler Tymal Mills disrupted their gameplan but they had one foot in the final until New Zealand plundered 57 runs from the 17th, 18th and 19th overs of the semi-final.

At 4/1 England are clearly serious contenders for the title this time around. Buttler, Stokes, Moeen and Livingstone can be devastating T20 hitters while recalled opener Alex Hales has a great record on Australian pitches in the Big Bash.

Hales is the most successful overseas batter in Big Bash history, racking up 1,857 runs at a strike-rate of 151, so he looks worth backing to be England's top tournament runscorer.

Fast bowlers Wood and Topley should also thrive on pacy wickets down under and Wood, who hit 97mph when taking 3-24 on his return to action against Pakistan in September, may well end up as his side's top bowler at the World Cup.

Keeping key players fit will be crucial for England. Buttler, Livingstone and Chris Woakes are returning from injury and need to be back to their sharpest for their third group fixture, the MCG showdown with Australia.

England have lost seven of their eight T20 internationals in Australia but they got the better of the Aussies in the UAE last year and victory over the holders in Melbourne would be a major psychological boost for Buttler's men.