Like an ice-cold drink in the heat of Antigua, it was a restorative win for England on Thursday, both for the paddles it applied to their flatlining net run-rate and their mood overall. Granted, it was a mismatch, Oman with next to no answers to the fire of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, nor Adil Rashid’s befuddling googly. But Jos Buttler’s side did appear to be sweating on things a touch beforehand.
Defending champions in this tournament and ranked second in the world when it kicked off a fortnight ago, England were keen to stress they had not suddenly become a poor Twenty20 side overnight, a stance not entirely without merit. Equally, the same can be said regarding the blowback that followed a scruffy showing in the washout against Scotland and then the 36-run defeat by Australia.
That Australia game was riddled with self-inflicted wounds, not least asking Will Jacks and his loopy off-breaks to defend a short boundary, into which a cross-wind was blowing. And over the course of two white-ball World Cups over the past eight months, it meant they had lost seven of their eight “live” games against full member sides. The fact that Rob Key, the team director, felt compelled to fly back and rejoin the setup this week was due to concerns about the (still live) possibility of a first-round exit.
“We can’t look past the fact that we needed to play better cricket,” said Wood, a player who tends to understand how these things work. “There’s still work to do but we’re feeling a lot better about things. I think from an English point of view, it’s almost like you either get too high or too low. I think we’ve got to try and just keep that level platform.
“We were right on it and right up for it [against Oman] – not that we weren’t right up for it for the other games – but it’s just that our backs were against the wall, there were obviously a few negatives flying around and questions being asked. I’m really pleased for the bowling unit that we came out and put on a performance.”
That work involves a quick turnaround, England meeting Namibia at 1pm local time on Saturday and needing another win to draw level with Scotland on five points. There are some convoluted, improbable ways in which Scotland can lose to Australia later that night and still finish with a higher net run-rate but in all likelihood, they will need a victory outright.
Not that Namibia will necessarily be pushovers. They were towelled up by Australia during the week, hemmed in by a cage of tight lines and sharp fielding en route to being skittled for 72 all out. But there is a dash more quality in their ranks compared to Oman, be it the all-round nous of David Wiese or Ruben Trumpelmann’s left-arm swing. There is also the pelt of a full member side above the mantelpiece back in Windhoek, having taken down Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup two years ago.
Given they meet at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, there is little reason for England to tweak their approach after what Wood described as a “ruthless” bowling performance. Certainly they looked a more well-rounded attack, the inclusion of Reece Topley , though wicketless on the day, a good fit for conditions as his thudding left-arm swing got help from the breeze. Assuming they prevail, the question really is how the team lines up once the standard rises in the Super Eights.
Upon naming the squad, Key said he and the management wanted a six-hitter at No 8 and, having earmarked Jamie Overton only for a stress fracture to appear, they settled on a recall for Chris Jordan. The XI that beat Oman had no such insurance policy, however, rather a more traditional tail. As such, and with the unused Sam Curran another option, seamers may be playing for places before the sharp end.
Namibia (possible): Nikolaas Davin, Michael van Lingen, Jan Frylinck, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Zane Green(wk), David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo
England (possible): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk/c), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
On a personal level, having scorched his way to three cheap wickets against Oman, Wood admitted to feeling a little singled out during the reaction to England’s tricky first week in Barbados. One over to David Warner was splattered for 22 runs – Wood in two minds about conditions – but the other four sent down during those first two games, he pointed out, cost one run fewer combined.
Wood added: “Of course you have doubts. Every game for England you have doubts. I don’t think there is a cricketer who has ever played who doesn’t have a bit of self-doubt but the nerves before a game, for me that helps. You’re out there in front of the cameras. There are millions of people watching. The media. Opposition. It’s all judgment. It’s just the way it is. I realised there were doubts about my spot and stuff but from the inside, I’ve been trying to quietly keep my focus.”
For an England side that can lurch from one extreme to the other – and still needs a favour from Australia this weekend – keeping cool seems a sensible approach.
