T20 World Cup 2022: "It is like me taking my daughter to the toy store" - Aakash Chopra says England's strength becomes their weakness at times
Aakash Chopra has said that the plethora of options in England's playing XI becomes their weakness at times.
England made it through to the semifinals of the ongoing T20 World Cup as the second-placed team in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage. Jos Buttler & Co. will now face India, the Group 2 table-toppers, in the second semifinal in Adelaide on Thursday (November 10).
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on the defining attributes of the two teams that qualified for the semifinals from Group 1. He said about England:
"Their strength becomes their weakness at times, which is basically that they have so many options that it is difficult to figure out. It is like me taking my daughter to the toy store; she wants everything. That is exactly what England is. Whether they should get Dawid Malan to bat or Moeen to bowl, they have no clue sometimes."
While observing that England were a bit lucky to make the last four, Chopra picked their aggressiveness and batting depth as their biggest strength. The former India opener elaborated:
"England were slightly fortunate because they made mistakes. Let's be fair: you lost to Ireland and were almost about to lose to Sri Lanka. But this team has the depth. What I like about this team is their aggressive approach and the depth in the batting."
England might have also been helped by their clash against Australia getting washed out. A loss in that game would have knocked them out of the tournament.
"Discipline" - Aakash Chopra on what defines New Zealand
Chopra picked New Zealand's methodical approach as their defining attribute. He observed:
"New Zealand - what defines them? Of course, discipline. Pratishtha anushasan parampara - that's what New Zealand is all about. This team plays with a lot of method; they don't go away from it."
The reputed commentator pointed out that every Black Caps player plays their role to perfection. He said:
"Each person's role is defined, and they always perform that role. That is why when they lose; they don't lose big. They don't make mistakes. It's a team that tries to be error-free."
See you on Wednesday! Today's results in Group 2 mean we will face @TheRealPCB in a @T20WorldCup semi-final at the @scg on Wednesday. #T20WorldCup https://t.co/Kq1dfiLIsD
New Zealand finished atop Group 1, with the same number of points as England and Australia but ahead of both on net run rate. They will face Pakistan in the first semifinal in Sydney on Wednesday (November 9).