Home Cricket England eye T20 World Cup boost with Stokes and Archer’s return | Cricket News – Times of India

England eye T20 World Cup boost with Stokes and Archer’s return | Cricket News – Times of India

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England eye T20 World Cup boost with Stokes and Archer’s return | Cricket News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: England‘s white-ball coach, Matthew Mott, has expressed the pivotal roles that all-rounder Ben Stokes and pace bowler Jofra Archer are expected to play in next year’s T20 World Cup, provided they regain fitness in time.
Stokes, currently recuperating from knee surgery, is anticipated to lead the team in the Test series against India. Meanwhile, Archer, sidelined with an elbow injury since March, is likely to make a comeback for the T20 World Cup.
Mott emphasized Stokes’ extraordinary match-winning abilities, describing him as a player who offers immense flexibility to the team’s balance.
“I think that’s a given. Ben, aside from his incredible match-winning ability in every department, gives us that ability to have a seam bowler in your top six that gives you so many options with your team balance… It makes selection a hell of a lot easier. So that’s a given,” Mott stated confidently.
Regarding Archer, Mott highlighted the invaluable asset of “box-office pace” and the dynamic options he offers in different game situations. Despite Archer’s recent struggles with injuries, Mott stressed the impact of having him back on the field.
“In terms of Jofra, you’ve just got absolute box-office pace, change of pace, bowl any over in the innings. Bowl your Super Over, bowl your last over when they need to. Him on the park is massive; everyone would agree with that.”
The duo’s potential return is expected to significantly boost England’s campaign in the T20 World Cup scheduled for June 2024 in the West Indies and the United States.
Mott also hinted at the likelihood of the opening pair of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt being retained for the World Cup team, emphasizing their recent standout performances.
“It’s looking pretty good, isn’t it? We’ve got a lot of time between now and then. Obviously, Salty has put an undeniable case there, and Jos is one of the greatest of all time. So how we get that top six or seven going will be an interesting thing,” Mott said, acknowledging the strong case Buttler and Salt have made with consecutive century partnerships in the recent series against the West Indies.
The T20 World Cup will be a crucial test for England, and Mott indicated that the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies is part of the team’s strategy to finalize their ideal lineup for the global tournament.
“We always said with this series we’ll go pretty close to the side we’re looking for, otherwise why would they be here? We don’t get many opportunities to play together before the World Cup. So this is a very strong team we’ve bought out here,” Mott concluded.
With the T20I series against the West Indies leveled at 2-2, the final match on Friday holds significance for England as they fine-tune their strategy for the T20 World Cup.
(With inputs from PTI)



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