As the T20 World Cup started in Geelong on Sunday, the eight teams that have automatically qualified for the Super 12s gathered in Brisbane for their final warm-up matches, games that some consider a vital part of their preparations and others little more than an inconvenience.
Most teams play two games, an idea that England, despite some pressure from the ICC, simply refused to entertain. Having flown here from Canberra on Saturday they play Pakistan on Monday before moving on Tuesday to Perth, a flight of around five and a half hours, where they open their tournament against Afghanistan on Saturday. “We could have done without it to be honest,” David Willey said on Sunday. “To then fly all the way back to Perth is a bit of an inconvenience. We’ve played a lot of games and we could do without this one.”
