Kolkata: As far as wakeup calls go for England, nothing can come close to the upset Nepal nearly pulled off in Mumbai last week. While in T20 a 24-run defeat is still pretty heavy, if seen through the lens of six-hitting, Italy basically fell short by four hits in an innings that saw them wallop 13 sixes—one more than England.
That, in short, sums up a glaring issue with England after they qualified for the Super Eights on Monday. And for a change, it’s not about their batting. England made 202/7 and Italy were 178 all out off the last ball.
Associate nations have been running the top teams close in this World Cup, but England making a habit out of it doesn’t bode well for their chances in the next stage where they will face a stronger string of nations. “We haven’t played our best cricket, but at the end of the day, we’ve made it through and we’re heading to the next round, so we can be happy about that,” England captain Harry Brook said at the post-match presentation. That happiness could prove to be brief unless Brook ushers in a sense of urgency among his bowlers, and with his captaincy.
Like the decision to keep leg-spinner Adil Rashid till the 18th over. With Italy seven wickets down, needing an improbable 51 runs from 18 balls, Rashid came in and started to bowl for wickets at the Eden Gardens where even a mishit can clear the boundary. Three sixes in that over and suddenly the equation read 30 from 12 balls.
Like in the Nepal match, Sam Curran again rescued England, this time bowling the 19th over. But he is bound to have an off-day and England just don’t seem to have a decent backup for him in the slog overs.
The match could have gone a different way when Tom Banton fell at 105/5 in the 13th over. But Will Jacks hit 20 runs off a Ben Manenti over before muscling a 22-ball 53. That in the end spelt the difference between the sides. Jacks came at No.7, validating the plan to have batting depth till No.8. But it can’t be reassuring that Brook’s last three innings reads 14, 4 and 17. Or the fact that Jos Buttler is yet to cross 26 in this World Cup.
Compounding those worries is the consistency with which two Associate Nations have taken England bowlers to the cleaners. Monday’s counterattack came out of nowhere. Italy were reduced to 22/3 in the fourth over, but Manenti wasn’t giving up. He smacked a 25-ball 60, raising a 92-run stand for the fourth wicket with Grant Stewart that nearly scuppered England’s day.
Inexperience was probably the only reason Italy’s spirited fightback didn’t go the whole distance. While England might feel relieved at qualifying for the next stage, they still have their job cut out on different fronts.
