After what was a tough Ashes series for England’s Test players in Australia, the Three Lions’ T20 side will be relishing the opportunity to impress at the World Cup Down Under, later this year.
While the Test team look to be in a stage of transition, the T20 squad appears to be coming towards its prime and should be there or thereabouts when it comes to the business end of the major tournament in Australia.
Expectations High in England Camp
As a side sitting at the top of the world rankings in the shortest format of the game, much is expected of this England squad ahead of the 2022 T20 World Cup. The Three Lions, who are currently priced at odds of 7/2 for those betting on cricket with Betfair, are among the favourites in the outright markets alongside the likes of India and hosts Australia.
Many free cricket betting tips will be backing England to go all the way at the major tournament, as they did back in 2010 when they lifted the trophy. The Three Lions beat rivals Australia in the final in Bridgetown, Barbados that year and it was current England skipper Eoin Morgan who was out in the middle when the Three Lions secured the winning runs.
Morgan is now the man tasked with leading England into another T20 World Cup and the batsman will be hoping his side can learn from what went wrong at the last competition in the UAE and Omar last year. The Three Lions managed to top Group 1, as they beat the likes of Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh and West Indies on their way to the knockout stages. However, a five-wicket defeat in the semi-finals to New Zealand in Abu Dhabi saw England take an earlier flight home than they would have wished for.
New Faces Getting a Chance
While there will be many of the same faces for the 2022 World Cup as there were in the England squad last year, there are a few players putting their hands up for selection. A prime example is 23-year-old Tom Banton, who will be hoping he can be the man to partner the experienced Jason Roy in the opening pairing for the tournament this year. The Somerset player has learned plenty from his spells in the Big Bash League with Brisbane Heat and in the Indian Premier League with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
In the bowling department, Saqib Mahmood is also looking to impress ahead of the next T20 World Cup as he starts to feature more in the England squad. The Lancashire paceman made his T20 debut in November 2019 for the Three Lions but had somewhat limited opportunities in the couple of years that followed. Back in the squad for the tour of the West Indies this year, Mahmood will be eager to nail down a spot in the bowling attack and a place on that flight to Australia in October.
After the woes of the Ashes series, English could do with a lift, and it looks like the T20 side have the potential to restore some pride on Australian soil before the year is through.
