How will England do at T20 World Cup? Nasser Hussain, Eoin Morgan and Michael Atherton make tournament predictions

England’s bid for a primary T20 World Cup title in 12 years will get occurring Saturday with Afghanistan first up for one of many tournament favourites.

After a tough summer season during which they didn’t win a white-ball collection on house soil, England have bounced again with a 4-3 success in Pakistan adopted by a 2-0 victory over Australia.

So, can Jos Buttler’s in-form facet go all the best way over the following few weeks?

We requested Sky Sports Cricket pundits Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton in addition to former England skipper Eoin Morgan for his or her ideas on that and an entire lot extra.

Read on for his or her views and then catch England vs Afghanistan reside on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday, with build-up starting at 11.30am forward of a noon begin…

How will England do?

NASSER HUSSAIN: I believe they will be very aggressive. They have a powerful facet and numerous choices. You solely need to look at the gamers which will need to be disregarded to see that. They appear to be peaking at the fitting time. Buttler seems in nice nick at the highest of the order and there’s numerous batting depth.

I additionally suppose the circumstances will swimsuit them. It has been moist and cool in Australia and their seamers ought to take pleasure in that. You by no means know in T20 cricket. For England, the final two World Cups have proven that you just solely want one unhealthy over and the tournament is taken away from you – however I believe they’re positioned effectively. I count on them to make the semi-finals at least.

I’m definitely not involved about Ben Stokes. He hasn’t performed numerous T20 cricket of late for a wide range of causes however in massive video games you want somebody to deal with strain, notably with the bat, and as we noticed within the 50-over World Cup in 2019 and the Ashes Test at Headingley later that summer season, he’s a really good cricketer. He can be good within the discipline and offers you a bowling variation so he’d undoubtedly be in my facet, most likely at No 4.

MICHAEL ATHERTON: England have pretty much as good an opportunity as anybody in what I see as a reasonably open tournament with no standout favourites. Plus, T20 is a extra unstable type of the sport anyway.

England are fairly well-balanced. They have a protracted, highly effective batting line-up with a number of harmful, boundary-hitting potential in there and have a number of the weather within the bowling that you might want to do effectively in tournaments – tempo, with Mark Wood, wrist-spin with Adil Rashid and left-arm seam with Sam Curran and David Willey.

I believe Wood and Rashid are going to be the important thing bowlers for England. Traditionally in Australia you’d suppose circumstances would swimsuit tempo and wrist spin however with the climate patterns at the second, who is aware of? I nonetheless imagine the one bowler England would not wish to lose is Wood.

They fell down with their dying bowling within the final tournament and that could be the weak point once more, however they’ve a number of gamers with big-match tournament and franchise expertise so I’d count on them to get out of their group – and after that it is anybody’s recreation.

EOIN MORGAN: I put them as joint favourites, with Australia, to win this competitors as I believe they have been good towards Australia.

Losing to South Africa within the vogue that they did within the closing T20 of the summer season was extraordinarily disappointing. I assumed that the best way they batted took away the positivity, they have been miles off the mark so to bounce again as fast as they’ve, in Pakistan and then in Australia, has been improbable.

They have gone from not realizing what their finest staff is with accidents and guys off form to a facet that’s spoiled for alternative attempting to choose a finest XI. They have an enormous quantity of confidence.

Must-win video games in a bilateral collection are the closest you get a to a World Cup so to see England win the deciding recreation in Pakistan within the model and vogue that they did gave a pleasant perception into what’s going on within the altering room.

Winners?

NASSER: Anyone can win this tournament. New Zealand are at all times there or thereabouts, Pakistan are an excellent facet particularly with Shaheen Shah Afridi getting back from damage, India have a lot T20 expertise, class and depth, and England, as I stated, ought to do very effectively.

India, England and Australia are three of my 4 semi-finalists and my favourites could be Australia. They ship in strain video games and know the circumstances enjoying at house. That will be key on this tournament with totally different venues and rain round. Adapting will be essential and Australia ought to do it finest, whereas they’ve good tempo bowlers up entrance.

Jasprit Bumrah’s damage is a blow for India, as is the absence of Ravi Jadeja, an excellent all-round cricketer. Bumrah might be one of the best multi-format bowler on the earth – a wicket-taking choice up entrance with the brand new, swinging ball, a wicket-taking choice within the center overs and then good at the dying as top-of-the-line slower ball and yorker bowlers round.

Without Bumrah, India will need to go barely tougher with the bat. They have been a bit timid with the bat in ICC occasions just lately however I do not suppose they will be this time. I count on them to be dynamic and robust contenders.

EOIN: I assumed India shedding Bumrah would have dropped them all the way down to second favourites with Australia the clear front-runners. With England’s latest type and Australia’s lack of it, I do not see Australia as out-and-out favourites at the second.

England handed Australia their backsides on a platter final yr, which gave them the kick up the bottom to play the best way they did and finally go on to win the tournament – however at the second they’re struggling massively.

There is uncertainly in what kind of staff they’ll put out and the bowling hasn’t fully been as much as scratch. Even within the warm-up recreation towards India they have been cruising and then folded like a deck chair late on. I believe house benefit will be enormous for them however they don’t seem to be the standout staff at the second.

ATHERS: You should suppose Australia would have a powerful likelihood on house turf and they give the impression of being a bit stronger than final yr. They are a extra developed facet and Tim David’s doubtless inclusion offers them a bit extra energy.

Their gamers know the circumstances and they are usually fairly tough to beat at house so I count on them to present a superb account of themselves. As hosts and defending champions, they’re the facet to beat.

Bumrah will be an enormous miss for India however you’ll be able to’t low cost them with the energy of their batting and, like Nas, I believe they will be pressured to go a bit tougher with the bat in Bumrah’s absence. It ought to clear their thoughts and technique.

Pakistan are at all times contenders in T20 World Cups and I’ve a sneaking suspicion South Africa will be there or thereabouts.

Top run-scorer

NASSER: It goes to need to be somebody at the highest of the order whose staff do effectively and so I’d go along with Buttler, however there are such a lot of candidates. KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam, Mohammed Rizwan. Suryakumar Yadav is a improbable participant however he will are available in at No 4 for India, after Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli so that you marvel what number of balls he will face.

EOIN: I’m going for Jos. Even after I was nonetheless enjoying, I watched him play pictures that made me suppose, I ought to retire as a result of I am unable to do that. He is on a special stage with how exhausting he hits the ball and how he’s persistently attempting to evolve his recreation.

ATHERS: Look for the openers. Buttler ought to do effectively and present he is among the finest white-ball gamers on the earth. David Warner for Australia, too. And clearly Pakistan openers Babar and Rizwan. Pakistan do not take as many dangers as another groups attempting to get to a par or above-par rating because of the energy of their bowling assault so it offers them the time to settle in.

Top wicket-taker

NASSER: That is a barely tougher alternative. You need somebody who bowls at the dying so I’d look in direction of Mitchell Starc or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. I will go Starc as he might additionally get wickets up entrance and then come again at the tip along with his slower balls and yorkers.

EOIN: I used to be initially going to go for a spinner and say Adil Rashid or Rashid Khan however the climate might negate the spin side a contact. I believe the ball will actually skid on and so I’m going to say a seamer. There are about 5 you could possibly choose however I will go for Mark Wood.

ATHERS: You are trying at new-ball wicket-takers, so somebody like Shaheen Shah Afridi, who’s again match and has his in-swinging yorker going if the warm-up towards Afghanistan is to go by. Wood and, if West Indies qualify for spherical two, Alzarri Joseph are contenders. If I went for one, I’d say Shaheen.

Which gamers are you trying ahead to seeing?

NASSER: Definitely Suryakumar. This is his first main ICC occasion the place he’s in completely phenomenal nick. He is an actual 360-degree batter, the best way he manoeuvres the ball is improbable.

With the ball, it is Shaheen. I used to be fortunate sufficient to be commentating when he bowled that spell towards India in Dubai final yr and I simply love his talent and the best way he performs the sport with a large smile on his face and his celebrations. He is an excellent cricketer – new ball, previous ball, it does not matter.

With him, Babar, and Rizwan, if Pakistan can get their middle-order hitting going – Fakhar Zaman ought to assist with that and I’d bat him at No 3 – they’ve an actual likelihood on this tournament.

ATHERS: There are one or two massive names lacking sadly in Bumrah and one in every of my favorite gamers, West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer, who did not make his airplane! The tournament could possibly be an actual springboard for Suryakumar and bowling-wise it’s Shaheen.

When he’s steaming in with ball in hand and has loads of assist behind him, which there’s certain to be in that opening recreation towards India on Sunday, it’s nice theatre. There isn’t any extra thrilling sight within the recreation than a quick bowler trying to take wickets with the brand new ball.

Beyond that, South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs is one to control. He performed a brutal innings towards England at Bristol over the summer season and is a participant who has sprung from nowhere out of franchise cricket and now finds himself on the massive stage. He is a large hitter of a ball and might play some eye-catching innings.

For England, I see Harry Brook as a star for England throughout codecs and his strike charge at the tip of an innings in T20 is improbable. He struggled a bit within the Big Bash however he’s a greater and extra assured participant now. I count on him to do effectively if he performs.

Dark horses?

NASSER: For me, it is South Africa. The massive query for them is what to do with captain Temba Bavuma as he has been injured and off form. They have Rilee Rossouw, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller and Aiden Markram with the bat, seamers like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje ought to benefit from the circumstances, and then there’s the wrist spin of Tabraiz Shamsi. Keshav Maharaj is an excellent cricketer, too, plus they at all times discipline effectively. They are particular darkish horses.

ATHERS: I at all times say South Africa and they at all times disappoint however I really feel they’ve harmful batters, together with the returning Rossouw, and that their tempo bowlers ought to thrive. I believe South Africa provide one of the best worth outdoors the highest three of England, India and Australia. You could be silly to write down New Zealand off however I believe they could lack a bit little bit of firepower and I had a way once they have been final in England that maybe one or two of the big-name gamers who’ve held that staff collectively for therefore lengthy are perhaps not fairly at their peak now.

EOIN: It’s a full home for South Africa. They have each base coated – expertise, firepower, a spin side that’s world class. I believe the most important problem for them is getting round that infamous hoodoo of not fulfilling their potential at World Cups. They simply must get their heads round that as they’ve the flexibility to beat one of the best sides on the earth, they’ve confirmed that. They simply must imagine in themselves. If they do that, they’ve an enormous likelihood.

Watch England tackle Afghanistan reside on Sky Sports Cricket on Saturday. Our protection begins at 11.30am forward of a noon begin.

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