MATCH STORIES
Follow UsHeading into T20 World Cup 2024, England’s bowling had multiple bases covered.
There was the express pace of Mark Wood and Jofra Archer. There was Chris Jordan, who specialised in death-over bowling. And if you added Reece Topley and Sam Curran, they had a pace bowling unit with all bases covered.
However, the reality at the global event has been starkly different. England started the tournament with a pace unit that read Wood, Archer and Jordan - with none of them really being a powerplay specialist.
Since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2022, Wood had only bowled 12 balls in the first six overs, and Archer only had seven powerplay overs under his sleeve. Jordan had bowled just the one powerplay over, which forced England to think outside the box with Moeen Ali and Will Jacks.
Those problems were evident across their opening two fixtures - Scotland and Australia - where their economy rate in the powerplay was a staggering 10.3, with the tournament average being at 6.21. In those two games, the Three Lions picked up just two wickets as the opposition raced away.
While Scotland had a score of 49/0, Australia were dominant with 74/2, really exposing England’s powerplay plans. Neither did their idea of bowling raw pace, nor their idea of bowling spin worked.
Thus entered Reece Topley and Sam Curran, who were bowling options England could use across the different phases. There was a considerable improvement in the Oman game, but the catch was that the skill gap between the two sides was huge, making the task much easier for the Three Lions.
The biggest test of this bowling unit was always going to be the Super 8s.
And to face West Indies on the best batting surface in the tournament at the Daren Sammy Stadium, England's powerplay struggles not only compounded but got exposed very badly. Neither was Topley effective bowling with the breeze, nor was Wood; his raw pace did not trouble either West Indian opener.
If anything, Wood’s pace only offered Johnson Charles much more to work with. Archer wasn’t any different either, with the pace helping the two batters as Brandon King slashed two boundaries. King didn’t spare Curran either, welcoming the left-arm pacer with a four. It was all too easy for the Windies openers, and even when King walked off with a groin injury, Pooran fitted just effortlessly as they raced to 54 runs in the first six overs.
All of this without any sort of reply from England.
Since the first over from Topley, every subsequent over saw one or more boundaries being scored. Overall, England had conceded nine boundaries against the Windies in the first six overs. It was seven against Scotland and 11 against Australia.
England’s lack of teeth in the powerplay was exposed yet again, just as it happened in the Scotland, Australia and Namibia clashes.
No doubt, this was a batting paradise in St Lucia but even then, England's powerplay troubles could end up costing them sooner or later.
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