England is the type of T20 team that you always expect to be there or thereabouts when a major competition finishes. This wasn’t always the case, but things changed after the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Not only are they the current world champions, but they have previous in this format too after beating Australia in the Caribbean 11 years ago.
Their ODI form is outstanding. However, a couple of nations will always prove hard to overcome, which is why England aren’t the favourites for the event in October. You shouldn’t worry if you’re an England supporter, though, because the side’s odds are improving daily.
A Neutral Venue
A lot can happen in a year. First, Australia was expected to host the tournament, then it moved to India, and now it’s the UAE and Oman. While the uncertainty will be harmful to some, particularly the Indians, the fact that Eoin Morgan and his men won’t have to combat the same type of hostility is only a plus point. The power of fans shouldn’t be underestimated, especially in a country where tens of thousands of partisan fans turn up to games to cheer on their heroes.
Indeed, home turf was one of the main reasons why India are ranked as 9/4 favourites by cricket betting specialists. Sure, the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can’t be overlooked, and neither can the swashbuckling Rishabh Pant. After all, the IPL has worked wonders for the success of the national side. Still, playing in arenas that aren’t packed with Indian supporters is a clear disadvantage for the second-ranked side in the world.
Another feature to consider is England’s recent form when playing in the UAE. Oman is an unknown, even if the pitches are expected to play similarly to those in Dubai and Sharjah. In the Emirates, for example, England destroyed Pakistan in 2015, completing a whitewash in a three-match series. When you combine the loss to the Indian team due to a lack of support and England’s understanding of the conditions, you can see why the nation’s odds have shortened to 4/1.
Dropping a Controversial Strategy
Recently, England’s management has seen fit to employ a rotation policy due to a packed schedule. The theory is sound on paper, but it hasn’t worked in practice. A prime example is Jonny Bairstow, a man who flew around the world from Sri Lanka to the UK and India to play a handful of games in the sub-continent.
England Test captain Joe Root has signalled that the team is ready to move on from the ‘rest and rotation’ policy ahead of their series against India. pic.twitter.com/pNlHhgdvlg
— ICC (@ICC) July 1, 2021
Everybody knows that England will need their best players to perform regularly if they are going to take on the likes of India and Australia. Thankfully, it seems as if the strategy is set to end as Joe Root has signalled that reshuffling the pack will be left behind. Just as importantly, the Test match confirmed his intent to earn a place in the T20 squad for October.
Although Root may not be the hardest of hitters, the side has plenty of strikers who can kick-start the innings. What the changing room lacks is a cool-headed finisher with 360°C scoring options, something Root possesses in abundance. Imagine, for instance, if Steve Smith weren’t in the Australian team. Would their odds still be 5/1? Almost certainly not!
The change of venue and inclusion of Joe Root will boost the team’s chances in the autumn. However, there’s still a long way to go before they can be crowned T20 world champions again.