Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott are under the scanner as the defending champions battle to stay alive in the T20 World Cup 2024 as well. The veteran also shared that two failed title defences will be difficult for them to get away with.
With England yet to win a game in the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup and having a poor net run rate (-1.800), they could be eliminated in the group stage only. However, they need to win their remaining two with a good net run rate to take over Scotland as well.
In his column for The Daily Mail, Hussain wrote: “Make no mistake: Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott are vulnerable. You can absorb one poor World Cup, especially when you began as double world champions, but two letdowns would be trickier to explain away. It’s up to England to show what a good side they are. With their struggles at the 50-over World Cup in India fresh in the memory, I can see why the fans aren’t happy. But they must now avoid the mistake they made in India, and stop chasing their tails. Pick the best team for the conditions in front of you, not the one you should have picked for the game before.”
Meanwhile, Despite Jonny Bairstow’s poor show against Australia in Barbados, Hussain feels England should play with him. However, he gave the hint that Ben Duckett can come in if the wicket turns as well. Hussain further shared that England missed a trick by not playing
Reece Topley in Barbados as well.
“By far the easiest time to bat in that innings was in the powerplay, and, for me, Bairstow should still play against Oman tomorrow if England decide the pitch at Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a good one. If they think it may turn, then Ben Duckett comes into play, with his sweeps and reverse-sweeps. Going into this tournament, my hunch was that the pitches in the West Indies would help pace-off bowlers. For that reason, I’d have picked Reece Topley for the two games in Barbados, with his cutters and variations, instead of Mark Wood, who is all about pace, or Chris Jordan,” Nasser Hussain concluded.
