We were a little bit sloppy in the field: England coach Matthew Mott

England’s white-ball coach Matthew Mott said his team was “sloppy in the field” against Scotland on June 4 (Tuesday). England’s opening fixture of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados was washed out, with only 10 overs possible in the first innings. Scotland were 90 for no loss and England were set a revised target of 109 off 10 overs.

“I thought Scotland batted incredibly well. We knew how dangerous they were at the top of the order. And they played quite unconventionally at times and really took the game on. I thought they batted as well as they could have in those conditions. Even tough for them to start and stop,” said Mott after the game. 

“I think they obviously felt like they had some momentum at the back end of the powerplay and I was really pleased the way we came back out after that break and shut it down pretty well. I think we definitely take some, I thought we were a little bit sloppy in the field a couple of times, probably just a bit of nerves at the start of a tournament. There are definitely areas we want to improve on, but there was a lot of good stuff in there as well.”

After the toss, it started raining in Barbados, causing a delayed start to the match. The game had to be stopped after 6.2 overs for more than two hours and it was reduced to 10 overs a side. Once Scotland were done with their innings, it started raining again and that’s when the umpires decided to call off the game.

“I think it's incredibly frustrating for both teams. To turn up and - it looked a pretty good surface. I know it was tricky the other night but it looked like it was going to present as a good surface. And it seemed a little bit inevitable, the way the squalls just kept coming in. And when that wind dropped, I think it was going to be hard to get back on. We've waited a long time to be able to put our best foot forward in this competition. And we didn't get that opportunity today. It was really unfortunate.”

England’s next match is now against their arch-rivals Australia on June 8 and Mott feels they match up really well against Mitchell Marsh and his men. “We've spoken a lot about treating each game in isolation. And we were trying to control what we can control. And I know it's a cliche, but it’s a reason it’s a cliché. It's important. 

“What we will go away with is we've got some really good learnings on even just how to switch on and off in these games and how important it is. You know, everyone's busting to get out there and the frustration of not being able to play is real. But I think we've even learned a lot from today how we've got to manage that and make sure we're ready to go again. But yeah, I definitely think Australia is a big game.

“Mark Wood steaming in their first over, I think it's exciting. Him and Jofra together is something that we’ve not been able to have for a while. We were really keen to make a statement there. But you know, equally, I think we bat deep, we've got good options around there. So, we match up really well against Australia and whatever the result of this game was, it was going to be a big game the next one and we're looking forward to it, really looking forward to it.”

Talking about England’s fielding against Scotland, Mott said: “I say there's a couple of midfields here and there. In the space of the time that we're out there, it's something we spoke about at the break about just tidying up. And I think we did that really well after. I wouldn't be reading too much into it like it happens in T20, but we've already seen it, like how challenging these conditions are going to be and how they can flip so quickly. 

“One of the reasons we've got Kieron Pollard on board is to try and understand the nuances of that, what you can do in those situations. And we're all learning a bit, it's quite unique the way the rain comes in, it's very different to the rain in England where it sets in and you're sort of assured you're going to be off for a while. You just got to keep sort of semi-alert, ready to go. And that's tricky in this format. So, I think we took a lot out today in regards to that.”

England’s second game against Australia is also at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown. “It's tricky to assess. We saw they put a lot of work into it (pitch) yesterday. They wet-rolled it and cross-rolled it and tried to seal it. And I think when it was in the batter's arc today, they seemed to treat the ball quite well and be able to play their natural games,” said Mott. 

“And there was a couple that kept low, so it gave a bit of everything and who knows what it would have presented in that second innings. But my best guess would be with a slippery wet ball that it would have come on the back quite nicely and we've been able to put them under a lot of pressure.”

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