T20 World Cup 2022: "It is very easy to say that but extremely difficult to do" - Aakash Chopra on England's philosophy that made them successful
Aakash Chopra has pointed out that the attacking brand of cricket England have adopted in the game's shortest format is easy to talk about but extremely difficult to implement.
England defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday, November 13. It was their second global title in the game's shortest format and they also became the first team to own both limited-overs World Cup trophies at the same time.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra delved into some of the reasons behind England's success. He had the following to say about their philosophy:
"They firstly decided what should be the philosophy of the team. Every guy became a part of that philosophy, that they have changed their game plan, that they will be playing an attacking brand of cricket. It is very easy to say that but extremely difficult to do."
Chopra added that England opted to pick players who gel into the aggressive brand of cricket they wanted to play. The former Indian opener explained:
"They said that they will make their team selection reflect that philosophy, that they will pick players who are naturally aggressive, and are not single-skilled but double-skilled players, they will define their roles later but they want that prototype, players like that."
England's batting depth ensured that they could take the aggressive route from the word go. Adil Rashid, who was slated to bat at No. 11 in the final, has 10 first-class centuries to his name.
"You are not seeing who is the best batter" - Aakash Chopra on Joe Root not being part of the England side
Chopra highlighted that Joe Root, one of the best batters in world cricket, does not make it to England's T20I side. He said:
"I thought it is a huge mental shift because you are not seeing who is the best batter. That is Joe Root but they will not play him in T20 cricket because he doesn't fit into their philosophy."
Root, arguably England’s best batter currently, doesn’t find a place in the T20s. Their selectors have discerned the T20s and have realised that this format is a different animal altogether. Culling is so very important. Does India have the courage to replicate this approach?
The reputed commentator pointed out that questions are asked about the philosophy if you lose badly. He observed:
"The second pitfall is when you lose, because when you go with an ultra-aggressive approach, you are also bowled out for 100 or lose an important match. Suddenly you are asked questions about your philosophy."
Chopra lauded Jos Buttler and Co. for sticking to their philosophy despite adverse results. He elaborated:
"Then you get self-doubts about whether you should use a different philosophy because you have lost. Maybe safety first was a better approach but they said no - it doesn't matter if we lose, but we will stick to our playing style. I thought that was a huge moment."
The cricketer-turned-analyst concluded by highlighting that teams tend to go towards their philosophy in high-pressure games. He pointed out that while England brought their aggressive game to the fore in the semi-final and final, India and Pakistan adopted a safety-first approach.