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Matthew Mott has said that England are “very
close” to settling on their squad for the T20 World Cup next June.
“We always said with this series we’ll go pretty
close to the side we’re looking for, otherwise why would they be here?”
Mott said, a day out from the series decider. “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.”
In a thrilling battle that has seen over 100 sixes
blasted in four matches, England and the West Indies are currently locked at
2-2 in their five-match series.
Given that England’s World Cup group stage matches are
anticipated to take place in Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia next year, the
series has been an essential preparation for the country.
Of particular certainty is that the opening pair of
Jos Buttler and Phil Salt is expected to continue, meaning Jonny Bairstow will
have to find another route into the team, potentially at the expense of Will
Jacks at No.3.
“It’s looking pretty good, isn’t it?” Mott
smiled when asked about the Buttler-Salt pairing that has put on back-to-back
century partnerships in their last two innings. “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.”
There is minimal opportunity for excessive alterations
with a small team. Barring any injuries, it appears likely that John Turner and
Ben Duckett will be the first two players off the pitch. Gus Atkinson and Tymal
Mills will then be left to compete if Wood returns, and Bairstow will have to
replace either Jacks or Moeen Ali.
That such well-known players could miss out shows how
strong this group is in depth; after a turbulent few months, they have pulled
off two incredible comebacks to overcome a 2-0 deficit and force a Thursday
decider in Trinidad.
Mott also spoke highly of the impact that Andrew
Flintoff has had on the group, with a team meeting following England’s defeat
to go 2-0 down sparking a change in approach.
“There was a realisation that the game that West
Indies were bringing to us was certainly a power game and talked about matching
fire with fire.