T20 World Cup: "They are not that good a team" - Aakash Chopra not optimistic about England's chances

Aakash Chopra feels England do not have a formidable lineup

Aakash Chopra has expressed pessimism about England's chances at the 2021 T20 World Cup host, UAE and Oman. He highlighted that some of the big guns are missing from their lineup.

England are clubbed alongside the West Indies, Australia and South Africa in Group 1 of the global event. Two more teams will join the group after the first-round matches. The Eoin Morgan-led side will face Team India in their first warm-up match in Dubai tonight.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra highlighted that England squad for T20 World Cup is a depleted side due to the absence of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. He observed:

"Everyone is saying that England is an outstanding team but when you see their team closely, you feel they are not that good a team. There is no Jofra, there is no Ben Stokes. England are not as strong as they used to be earlier."

The former India opener added that the pitches in the UAE might not be to the England batters' liking and cited the examples of Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy's struggles during the second half of IPL 2021. Aakash Chopra said:

"The grounds on which they are playing, whether they have the right team for that. They have some big-hitters for sure but we have seen Liam Livingstone. We also saw Jason Roy when the ball was stopping a little."

Liam Livingstone is the Biggest Flop of #IPL who came from Hundred.

In Hundred he Scored 348 Runs (27 Sixes) in 195 Balls!

His Strike Rate is 178.46 with an Average of 58.0

In #IPL he Scored 42 Runs in 41 Balls (1 Six & 3 Boundaries)

@rajasthanroyals #IPL #RR https://t.co/qxgJH0CMwQ

Livingstone had a dismal IPL 2021 as he managed just 42 runs in five innings. Although Roy did score a half-century, he also did not set the stage on fire.

"Morgan is in absolute zero form" - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra highlighted Eoin Morgan's poor returns in IPL 2021 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Here is the updated T20 World Cup 2021 points table after the last match.

While acknowledging that England have some free-stroking players, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Eoin Morgan's lack of form is an area of concern. He elaborated:

"Jonny Bairstow has also not played for some time. Their batting still has the likes of Buttler and Bairstow. They are all strong but captain Morgan is in absolute zero form. It is possible he might suddenly start doing well in England colors. That will be interesting."

Lowest average by a captain in an IPL season (min 10 inns):

11.08 - Eoin Morgan in 2021
12.00 - Harbhajan Singh in 2012
13.50 - Shane Warne in 2009
16.28 - MS Dhoni in 2021

#IPL2021

The 44-year-old concluded by stating that England are unlikely to have a great run in the T20 World Cup. Aakash Chopra quipped:

"Let's see where they go but I am not too optimistic about England, to be very honest. Not that they are in our pool and it doesn't matter to us."

Although England are not in Team India's group, the two teams can play each other in the knockout stages. None of the other teams are likely to take England lightly, considering the might of their batting lineup.