T20 World Cup 2014: England struggling to live up to former glories

Stuart Broad of England with national coach Ashley Giles (R)

England do know what it takes to win a World Twenty20, but it seems like the current crop of players are some way short of going all the way in the tournament this year.

It has been a winter to forget as far as the English cricket goes.

From an Ashes whitewash to the disappointment in the shorter forms of the game Down Under, to the loss of Test coach Andy Flower, to the omission of Kevin Pietersen… the list does go on and on.

The team management has been keen to move on from all the ‘unpleasantness’ that they have had to endure, both on and off the field, of late. Ahead of England’s World Cup Twenty20 opener in Bangladesh, though, results don’t seem to be improving. At present, it would take someone brave to back head coach Ashley Giles and his men to do a 2010 encore.

A victory for England in their final Twenty20 international encounter against West Indies looked like it could be the start of something promising, but the pre-tournament warm-up defeats to the Windies and India have sent Giles’ men back to the drawing board.

The lack of boundaries, especially sixes, seems to be England’s undoing, but they certainly have the personnel to smash the ball into the stands down in Bangladesh. With the likes of Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler in their ranks, finding the boundary should not be an issue at all. It is quite inexplicable that England find themselves in such a situation.

The confidence levels in the camp appear to be low, which is understandable considering the extended stretch of disappointing results that have come their way, so far. Any team would struggle to bounce back from such blows.

The hectic schedule, which has not given the English players too much time to reflect, has not been helpful either. Missing personnel is yet another concern ahead of the big event. Pietersen, who played a crucial role in helping England win this competition in the Caribbean islands back in 2010, has already been mentioned. Retired off-spinner Graeme Swann would be missed, too. At their prime, the duo can walk into any Twenty20 team in the world.

Just when Yorkshire’s Joe Root was starting to find a bit of form in the recent ODI series against the West Indies, a fractured thumb ruled him out of the tournament. It seems at the moment that the cricket gods are working against England. There is quality in this side, but getting confidence back in the ranks is the key.

A positive start is important for any side but even more for Giles’ team. Wins in the opening games can get the ball rolling and can bring about a reversal in fortunes; however, early defeats could see this being a long tournament for the confidence battered England.