Considering their performances in white-ball cricket over the last few years, England will be certainly a team to beat at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, scheduled to be held in India in October-November.
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According to the team’s assistant coach Paul Collingwood, England will also be “feared” by a lot of teams in the showpiece event.
“Going into this World Cup I think we will be feared by a lot of teams because of our white-ball form for the past four years,” Collingwood told British media on the eve of their T20I series-decider against India.
“We’ve got a lot of match winners from one to 11, who can win games from their own bat. Totally different teams from 2010 to now, but I don’t think we could be in a better place.
“The team in 2010 was a team that came together right at the last moment, and we took a few risks, gambles on selection.
“We knew what kind of cricket we wanted to play but it hadn’t been drilled into us over a long period of time, like this team has. I think this team is better prepared.”
Talking about their success mantra in the white-ball formats, Collingwood said it in playing an aggressive brand of cricket.
“I never feel you win World Cups, big tournaments by being conservative. You’ve got to be ahead of the game. This team has done that over the past four years, that drilled into being aggressive.
“You’ve got to have a lot of bravery to do it in the big games. Tomorrow’s another example. Hopefully, we can go out there and play our usual aggressive cricket and of course adapt to the conditions.
“That’s how they want to play and that’s how you put teams under pressure whether you’re playing the first game or in the final. That is our mantra.”
Eyeing an unassailable 3-1 lead, the Eoin Morgan-led side suffered an eight-run defeat in the fourth T20I against India at Ahmedabad on Thursday (March 18).
The fifth T20I, scheduled for March 20, is now a series-decider and Collingwood feels such pressure games would put them in perfect place ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“It’s a huge game. Both teams know that. Another great opportunity to get experience under the belt in knockout cricket. It’s like a final for us. When you’re leading into the World Cup you need these kinds of experiences to see how players deal with the pressure.
“It’s just another experience that you can draw upon and use the memories of that.”
Collingwood hoped the pitch, which was used for the second T20I, would offer some bounce.
“It’s the same pitch as the second T20 but it had a lot of moisture put into it, it’s been sealed up, so don’t expect it to be a one that’s going to be really slow and low and turning.”
(With PTI inputs)
