Only a couple of days ago, England, the defending World Champions, the 2016 World T20's runner-ups, and also a one-time World T20 winner released their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup that is set to begin this October.
Let's have a look at their squad, the players who missed and the form of the team as a single unit, and also some key personalities in the squad.
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Reserves: Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, James Vince.
Tymal Mills was one of the shockers that came for the fans and other audiences as he was incorporated into the 15-man squad. However, Chris Silverwood had a justification for this decision that felt quite solid.
"Tymal Mills deserves his inclusion and has demonstrated over the past couple of years, but particularly this summer that he has all the skills to succeed at this level."
"His exceptional pace is a standout, and the way he has spearheaded Sussex and Southern Brave's respective attacks in the short-form game has shown that he relishes the pressures of the big stage. He will add variety to our bowling unit, and we can't wait to see him play in a major international tournament."
-Chris Silverwood
This will be Mills' first International appearance in T20Is since 2018 when he featured for the World XI against West Indies at Lords. For England, his last T20I appearance was against India in February 2017.
Players to miss out:
England fans brace yourself as you already know what's coming. Yes, unfortunately, England's two main performers, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer are sidelined for the tournament.
While Archer recovers from an elbow issue, Ben Stokes will be focusing on getting back fit mentally. Chris Woakes has replaced him, while England poses with Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone trying to capitalize on the conditions in UAE.
West Indies, the defending T20 Champions will be their first opponents of this World Cup as we see a "Final" rematch between these two teams. Along with England and West Indies, South Africa and Australia are also in Group 1, with two spots to be taken by the teams entering via the qualifiers.
England are the no.1 T20I team as per the ICC Men's rankings. Will things remain the same after the World Cup?
Players and Team Form
England's last T20 action came against Pakistan in July when the hosts produced a comeback against Babar Azam and co. in a three-match T20 series, losing the first one.
Liam Livingstone was the top scorer with 149 runs in three matches, while Jason Roy who is also in the squad was second among the English batsmen.
Adil Rashid was the leading wicket-taker of the series despite playing a game less as he picked six wickets in two games. Moeen Ali was the second-best with three wickets in three games.
In June, the English hosted Sri Lanka, whitewashing them 3-0 in a three-match T20 series. In a series that was very low scoring, Dawid Malan topped the charts of run-scorers. However, he just scored 87 runs in three matches. Sam Curran was the highest wicket-taker with five wickets in three matches followed by Adil Rashid who picked four wickets.
England's first series loss came against India in March when they were hosted by the Indians. Jos Buttler scored 172 runs in five matches, while Malan scored 148 as England lost the decider, losing the series 3-2.
Archer was England's leading wicket-taker with seven wickets in five matches, a player they will miss badly on the slow UAE pitches. England visited South Africa in 2020 and caused another whitewash in a three-match series. Malan was the highest scorer with 173 runs in three matches.
Chris Jordan picked three wickets in three matches, becoming England's highest wicket-taker in the series. In September 2020, they hosted the Australians and clinched the series 2-1. Malan led the scorer's charts again, firing 129 runs in three games. Adil Rashid picked six wickets and was England's leading wicket-taker in the series.
Top Performers in this period (Runs)
| Players | Runs | Average Score (No. Of matches) |
| Dawid Malan | 570 | 33.53 (17) |
| Jos Buttler | 537 | 41.31 (13) |
| Liam Livingstone | 190 | 31.67 (6) |
Top Performers in this period (Wickets)
| Players | Wickets | Average Wickets (No.of matches) |
| Adil Rashid | 22 | 1.38 (16) |
| Jofra Archer | 12 | 1.10 (11) |
| Sam Curran | 10 | 0.10 (11) |
So it's clear that the batsmen are all set to make an impact and England will surely be one of the most lethal batting units in the tournament. However, in Jofra's absence, the onus will be on the likes of Adil Rashid for the wickets as the pitch will also be in his favor most of the time.
What do you think? How far will England go in the tournament? Let us know your thoughts via your social media accounts. Follow Cricwizz on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more updates.
Stay tuned with Cricwizz for the best cricket content.
