T20 World Cup 2021: England ahead of a remarkable record

No team has ever held the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup at the same time. England looks as good a chance as any side ever has to pull it off. Meanwhile, they are going into the tournament as the No.1 team in the world. They have finished as runner-ups in the 2016 T20 World Cup edition but lost against the Carribeans. But this time in the T20 World Cup 2021, they have it in them to be successful in Asian conditions.

England may not be going into the World Cup at their full strength going. As several notable players are absent. With a long list of players who are almost custom-made for T20 cricket, Eoin Morgan's men have also been responsible for changing the manner in which the format is played. 

Also Read: England vs West Indies T20 World Cup: Full Preview, Lineups, Pitch Report, And Dream11 Team Prediction

Be it the aggressive approach from ball one or having a tail that sometimes doesn't start until No.11. However, England's attitude towards the shortest form of the game makes them one of the most entertaining teams in the competition.

England's shock group-stage exit in the 2015 World Cup forced them to turn a corner in white-ball cricket. Since then they have had a strong case to be considered the best team in limited-overs cricket. Their performance in the two ICC Men's World Cups during that period - runners-up in T20 World Cup 2016 and champions in Cricket World Cup 2019. Meanwhile, that gives a clear indication of their high levels in the shorter formats.

Ahead of their opening match on Saturday, we take an in-depth look at England's squad

On paper, England has one of the strongest sides at the World Cup. Though they will be without the services of Jofra Archer (injury), Sam Curran (back injury), and Ben Stokes (on an indefinite break to focus on his mental health). Although, they have able backups in Tymal Mills, Tom Curran, and Liam Livingstone. Meanwhile, the latter already showing glimpses of what he is capable of in England colors.

England's squad has all the bases covered to go very deep into the tournament. The squad is replete with explosive batters, starting with Jason Roy and Jos Buttler at the top and No.1 ranked T20I batter, Dawid Malan, at one-down. In Bairstow, Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Morgan, they have players who are all capable of playing the finisher's role. 

Moen Ali and Adil Rashid will lead the spin attack in conditions that will have a lot to offer. On the pace bowling front, England has an envious variety in their ranks that can cause trouble to opposition batters irrespective of the surface.

No side has ever held the Men's Cricket World Cup and T20 World Cup trophies at the same time. An England victory here would make history and confirm their status as one of the greatest limited-overs teams ever established.

Read Also: Most Man of the Match award winners in T20 World Cup

England Squad in the T20 World Cup 2021 :

Eoin Morgan(C), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler(wk), Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Matches in the Group Stage :

23rd Oct – Vs West Indies

27th Oct – Vs Bangladesh

30th Oct – Vs Australia

1st Nov – Vs Sri Lanka

6th Nov – Vs South Africa

Read Also: India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021: Past Results of every match

Tournament History :

Best Finish: Champions in 2010

England beat their arch-rivals Australia in the Final of the T20 World Cup 2010 in Barbados. Having fallen short in three ICC events before - at the 1979 World Cup against the West Indies, 1987 World Cup against Australia, and 1992 World Cup against Pakistan - England finally got get their hands on their first ICC Men's trophy when they beat Australia convincingly by seven wickets with three overs to spare.

They came within touching distance of repeating the feat in 2016 but a Carlos Brathwaite special in the Final meant that they had to settle for runners-up.

Also Read: Most Wins in T20 World Cup

The Big Match :

Australia - 30th October

Irrespective of the format, when the two Ashes rivals clash, there's always a big game feel to it and there's no bigger stage than the World Cup. Pitted in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage, England and Australia will clash on 30th October in Dubai.

England and Australia have clashed only twice previously in Men's T20 World Cup. In 2007, Australia got the better of England while in 2010, England emerged victorious when it mattered the most in the decider.