Buttler's troops aim to recreate 2010 glory – England team preview
Squad:
Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Alex Hales.
Best finish at the tournament
Champions (2010)
A memorable day for England cricket and all their fans. The wait for World Cup glory was finally over for a powerhouse of cricket as Paul Collingwood and his men played a fierce brand of cricket to win the 2010 edition of the tournament in the Caribbean.
The victory in the final was made all the sweeter as it came against fierce rivals Australia.
Results in the last 10 T20I games
(Most recent first): W W W W L L W L W L
Fixtures
v Afghanistan (October 22), Perth Stadium, Perth
v Group B Runner-Up (October 26), MCG, Melbourne
v Australia (October 28), MCG, Melbourne
v New Zealand (November 1), The Gabba, Brisbane
v Group A Winner (November 5), SCG, Sydney
Key Match
v Australia (October 28) - A high-octane clash against their arch-rivals in front of a packed MCG would undoubtedly be the one that the England players would be looking forward to.
England will fancy their chances of winning their two opening encounters against Afghanistan and the First Round Group B runner-up, so a win against Australia could see them take a massive step toward booking a spot in the semi-finals.
The two sides have clashed recently in a series on Australian soil, with England getting the better of the hosts in the first two matches. This will undoubtedly fill them with confidence and Buttler's men will believe they have Australia's number.
England also registered a comfortable win against Australia in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Key player
Jos Buttler - The England skipper remains one of the most feared batters in the T20 game, with many hailing him as the best in the format.
Despite the additional responsibilities that come with the captaincy, Buttler will view the tournament as a big opportunity to stamp his authority as the leader, as England move away from the Eoin Morgan era.
Buttler's best bet to do that would be to lead from the front with the bat in hand, setting the tone at the start of the innings as he so often does.
His partnership with Alex Hales at the top will be of vital importance, especially in Jonny Bairstow's absence, as England will aim to make full use of the Powerplay.
Buttler has an enviable record in the shortest format, with close to 2400 runs at a strike rate of over 143 and his form – both as a batter and a leader – will dictate how England's campaign pans out Down Under.
Summary
England have been rightly installed as one of the pre-tournament favourites heading into the World Cup. Their batting order is the envy of many teams, with power-hitters galore.
Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali are some of the most dangerous players in the world, when on song. Harry Brook has emerged as an excellent prospect and Dawid Malan plays the role of anchor to perfection. England also bat deeper than most.
The likes of Ali, Stokes and Livingstone can also chip in some handy overs with the ball, while their frontline bowlers like David Willey, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are no mugs with the bat.
With the strength and depth at their disposal, a semi-final spot will be a minimum expectation for Buttler's men.
They will back themselves to get out of a group which also has defending champions Australia and last year's runners up New Zealand in it. Victories against them will be vital in terms of progressing, while also building momentum.
The team though would undoubtedly be hit by the absence of Jonny Bairstow, who would have added more firepower in the batting department. How Alex Hales performs as his replacement after a long lay-off from international cricket remains to be seen.
There are also worries in the bowling department, with a massive Jofra Archer-sized hole.
Mark Wood and Chris Woakes are excellent performers but will return after a long injury lay-off.
Death bowling has also been an issue in the past and Reece Topley and Chris Jordan will have to step up to ensure that the team are not leaking too many runs in the slog overs.
All in all, England have as strong a line-up as any team in the tournament and a run into the knock-out stages should be a minimum expectation. Whether they can replicate the success of the class of 2010 is another story and will largely determine the legacy of this firebrand unit.
