3 major concerns for England after loss to Australia in T20 World Cup 2024
Defending champions England were given a reality check as they lost their second T20 World Cup game against arch-rivals Australia, which pushed them to a corner in the ninth edition of the tournament. The washout against Scotland followed by a defeat to Australia have made things very interesting in Group B.
Australia became the first team in the tournament to post a score of 200 and above in this edition as the England bowling attack was taken to the cleaners. Travis Head and David Warner provided a blistering start to lay the platform for a big Australian score. None of the batters could go on to score a half-century but the impact of most of the individual knocks was significant enough to take them over the 200-run mark.
England started brilliantly on the back of a superb opening stand from Phil Salt and Jos Buttler. The opening stand laid the platform for the middle-order batters and the finishers but some exceptional bowling from Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins ensured that England were kept under check and eventually Australia went on to win by 36 runs.
Having said that, let us have a look at three major concerns for England after the loss to Australia in the T20 World Cup.
#1 The lack of penetration in the bowling department
England came into the tournament on the back of a superb bowling performance in the T20I series against Pakistan but have looked pretty rusty in the two matches of the ongoing T20 World Cup. They were plundered for 89 runs against Scotland in just 10 overs without picking up a wicket.
In the previous match against Australia, the likes of Will Jacks, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, and Mark Wood were taken to the cleaners in the powerplay, which set the foundation for Australia. The bowling unit conceding over 200 runs is a major concern ahead of their next must-win encounter against Oman on June 14.
#2 Rustiness in the power-hitting department
The likes of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt provided a quickfire start against Australia. Salt, in particular, looked pretty dominant in the powerplay but Buttler wasn't at his fluent best, which was the case in the latter stages of the IPL as well.
Will Jacks has found it difficult to time the ball, especially in challenging conditions for batters. The form of Liam Livingstone towards the lower middle order is a major concern for England as he has been a tested finisher with the ability to hit sixes at will. If England have to make a comeback in the tournament, their power hitters need to come good.
#3 England all-rounders haven't managed to put up the required performance
While the likes of Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali provide the balance for England in the all-round department, they have been far from their best in both aspects of the game. While both Moeen and Livingstone bowled well against Australia, they were not given their full quota of overs.
Moeen smashed three sixes in an over of Maxwell but Livingstone couldn't quite make the impact that England was hoping. These two have to up their ante in the remaining two must-win games for the defending champions if they are to progress to the next round.