"Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott are vulnerable" - Nasser Hussain warns England cannot bottle two World Cup title defenses
Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott are on a tightrope, as the defending champions battle to stay alive in T20 World Cup 2024. The 56-year-old reckons two failed title defenses will be difficult for the management to get away with.
With England yet to win a game in the ongoing edition and having a poor net run rate (-1.800), they risk getting eliminated in the group stage. The defending champions must win their remaining two matches comfortably and ensure a healthy net run rate to take over Scotland.
In his column for The Daily Mail, Hussain wrote:
"Make no mistake: Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott are vulnerable. You can absorb one poor World Cup, especially when you began as double world champions, but two letdowns would be trickier to explain away. It’s up to England to show what a good side they are."
The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that fans have England's disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign fresh in their minds, adding that Jos Buttler and company should not chase tails anymore.
"With their struggles at the 50-over World Cup in India fresh in the memory, I can see why the fans aren’t happy. But they must now avoid the mistake they made in India, and stop chasing their tails. Pick the best team for the conditions in front of you, not the one you should have picked for the game before," he said.
The Englishmen started as favorites for the 2023 World Cup in India. However, they were often stuck between attack and defense, due to which they won only three matches out of nine, triggering a group-stage elimination.
"Bairstow should still play against Oman" - Nasser Hussain
Despite Jonny Bairstow's painstaking innings against Australia in Barbados, Hussain feels England should stick with him. However, he hinted that Ben Duckett can come in if the wicket turns.
"By far the easiest time to bat in that innings was in the powerplay, and, for me, Bairstow should still play against Oman tomorrow if England decide the pitch at Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a good one. If they think it may turn, then Ben Duckett comes into play, with his sweeps and reverse-sweeps," Hussain said.
Hussain further pointed out that England missed a trick by not playing Reece Topley in Barbados, elaborating:
"Going into this tournament, my hunch was that the pitches in the West Indies would help pace-off bowlers. For that reason, I’d have picked Reece Topley for the two games in Barbados, with his cutters and variations, instead of Mark Wood, who is all about pace, or Chris Jordan."
Chris Jordan could face the axe against Oman, having struggled against both Scotland and Australia.