Friday, November 22, 2024

T20 World Cup 2024: England beating Australia would allow them to change the narrative

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You can also argue that England are better with their backs against the wall.

They won their first T20 World Cup at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, the venue for their latest meeting with Australia, in 2010. Earlier in that tournament they were beaten by West Indies and only scraped through the first group stage courtesy of net run-rate.

When they won this title again in 2022, the last edition of the tournament, England were beaten in the group stage by Ireland.

Even their famous 50-over win of 2019 had the group stage wobbles against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia which left them needing to win four straight games to win the title.

When England have breezed through the group stages, in the 2017 Champions Trophy or 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, they have come unstuck in the semi-finals.

But, despite all of that, there remains a feeling that Saturday is a crucial moment, as much for changing the feeling around this whole white-ball set-up.

Rightly or wrongly, and no matter how much Jos Buttler wants to move on from it, their struggles in India at the 50-over World Cup last year hang over this side.

The rain in England and then Barbados, plus cricket’s franchise-heavy calendar, means Buttler’s side have only played 10 completed white-ball matches in almost seven months since India.

They remain relaxed off the field.

Jofra Archer took Phil Salt to his family home to see his dogs and two pet parrots on Thursday before Harry Brook trained in a Hawaiian shirt as the loser of England’s football warm-up game.

A win against their oldest cricketing rivals would allow everyone to breathe a little easier again.

“It’ll be good for momentum, it’ll be good for confidence,” England batter Jonny Bairstow said about the prospect of a win in Bridgetown.

“But at the same time, if that doesn’t happen, then it’s not a derailer to the group.”

Of course Bairstow’s history with Australia is long and storied.

Part of Andrew Strauss’ side that crumbled in the 2013-14 Ashes and a series winner in the 2015 return, he was at the eye of the storm last summer when Alex Carey’s stumping dismissed him at Lord’s.

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