England's World Cup Woe.

Lumb and Hales will need to get England off to good
starts if they hope to challenge in this tournament. 

With an appalling winter behind them, England will be eager to shock the world in Bangladesh as they take on the T20 World Cup and hope to regain the title which they won which such conviction in 2010.

It is hard to believe how quickly England’s fortunes have turned around and the shortest form of the game is a good example of how sudden these changes can happen.

England will go in to their opening match versus New Zealand tomorrow having lost seven of their last eight T20 fixtures and, as preparation for a major tournament goes, England have experienced a horrid period recently.

Preparation for this tournament in particular has been poor, with a 2-1 defeat to the current holders of the tournament, the West Indies, and defeats to India and the West Indies in warm-up matches have served to diminish the spirit in camp, if one still exists that is.

Despite their modest preparation, Moeen Ali and James Tredwell have both made it clear that England will go in to this tournament aiming for nothing less than outright success.

Whether or not you agree with England’s decision to part company with Kevin Pietersen, it would be foolish to say that England would not benefit from having him in the squad, with England’s batsmen failing to excite throughout the winter.

He is leaps and bounds ahead of all other England players in this format of the game, with an unassailable batting record and the decision to appoint him as captain of the Delhi Daredevils for the IPL demonstrates how he is still regarded as a significant player on a global stage.

England’s current squad is one with experience and the capacity to win in this tournament. The likes of Lumb, Hales, Wright and Morgan, just to name a few, all have vast experience in the shortest form of the game, but the England camp have lost confidence and lack the same level of belligerence as other teams.

Injuries to Joe Root and Ben Stokes have also played there part in hampering England’s plans, but the likes of Ali and Chris Jordan have seized their opportunities well and will be crucial in this tournament.

How they’ll fare:

It would be fair to say that England will be regarded as underdogs in this competition. Teams like Australia, India and West Indies all have greater reason to believe they will challenge for the title and to progress from the group stages would be an achievement for England.

However, given the current state of affairs, it is hard to see England turning things around so quickly. Anybody can win on the day in T20's, it is one of the reasons that it has captured the imagination of punters around the world.

But at the highest level it becomes far easier to predict the outcome of major tournaments and with a severely damaged England camp aiming for such heights, they may face a terrible thud when reality hits them.

With a lack of wins in T20 cricket of late, England will need to win their opening match against New Zealand, hit the ground running and carry some sort of form throughout the tournament.

It is important that they make other teams remember that they can post imposing totals and not just settle for 160, thinking that it will be enough against vastly superior opposition.

Bowling wise, economy is the name of the game. Trying to take ten wickets is a futile goal in t20’s and constricting runs is all the bowlers can do if they want to be successful.

Dernbach and Bresnan need to find some consistency. They have tended to start innings’ well, but they need to hit more Yorkers and use the short ball in moderation, otherwise they will be made to look silly by the likes of Gayle and Finch.

Tredwell seems to be a very useful asset in the spin department, but has been put under a lot of pressure to deliver. The likes of Stephen Parry and Moeen Ali will not be expected to perform to the level of Narine, and Tredwell will have to do a lot of the work in the middle overs alongside Bopara, as he has done consistently over the last month.

Teams underestimate the value of good fielding, but one misfield can cost you the game in this format, so it is as vital as ever to get the basics right before trying to be clever.

Buttler’s role as a keeper will no doubt be overshadowed by his importance as a strong finisher and with a lack of boundary hitters in the team he is being tipped as England’s key player in this tournament.

Team:

Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad (Captain), Jos Buttler (W/K), Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Stephen Parry, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright.