World Twenty20 team preview: England

Cricket365
March 18, 2014

Everyone is predicting an England crash-and-burn, without Kevin Pietersen's batting power to save them. They have a tough group, and recent form suggests they'll be miserable, but you never know

Captain: Stuart Broad Coach: Ashley Giles WT20 Best: Champions, 2010

Overview England have not had a fun run up to the tournament by any stretch of the imagination. They lost Kevin Pietersen to forced retirement after he won the event for them in 2010, Stuart Broad's been injured and Joe Root was ruled out with a broken thumb – hence some pretty topsy-turvy <a href='http://www.paddypower.com/bet/cricket/icc-world-twenty-20' target='_blank' class='instorylink'>online cricket betting odds</a> for the former champions.

Added to that, all-rounder Ben Stokes has lost all the form he showed in Australia, while the top order generally failed to fire in the West Indies as they lost the T20 series with the same squad they'll have in Bangladesh.

It's an inexperienced side, with newcomers like Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan expected to slot right into the international fold and perform on cue, while Ian Bell has been brought in after more than three years out of the format. 'Hopeful' is an optimistic assessment.

Key Batsman Wicketkeeper Jos Buttler seems to be the one name on the batting list that could conceivably win a game on his own, even though he comes off in one out of three matches. The other two knocks tend to be ducks. But the other options are limited, and he can hit the ball miles, and do so under pressure.

Key Bowler Before his injury, we'd have said Root, actually. His dependable spin would have been valuable on the tracks in question. Now, we'll have to go with the experience of paceman skipper Stuart Broad. He has a very good T20 average of just over 22 and is deadly when on a roll.

Likely Benchwarmer Probably one of the new guys, though Stephen Parry's leg spin might give him a spot ahead of paceman Chris Jordan. The former Barbados quick did well in the final T20 in his home country through, so it's a toss up.

Cricket365's Prediction Everyone is predicting an England crash-and-burn, without Kevin Pietersen's batting power to save them. They have a tough group, and recent form suggests they'll be miserable, but you never know. Doubt they'll make the semis, provided they justify <a href='http://www.paddypower.com/bet?action=go_type&category=SPORTS&disp_cat_id=&ev_class_id=31&ev_type_id=23309' target='_blank' class='instorylink'>6/5 odds</a> in the warm-up fixtures.

They Said: "I think maybe I've just matured a bit. I went back to basics, did the right things and thankfully I've been rewarded with the England Lions and now the England call-up. This is the best I've ever batted. I feel like I've grown up as a cricketer and I know my game much better now. I'm ready to play. Wherever I slot in I will be happy if selected and I can offer something with the ball and bat and in the field so I am happy to slot in wherever." – all-rounder Moeen Ali.

Squad: Stuart Broad, Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Michael Lumb, Stephen Parry, Ian Bell, Ben Stokes, James Tredwell, Luke Wright.

Fixtures 22 March: v New Zealand, Chittagong 27 March: v Sri Lanka, Chittagong 29 March: v South Africa, Chittagong 31 March: v qualifying team, Chittagong

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