England and New Zealand shared their T20I series 2-2 – here are five things we learned from the series.
The teams scored close, but it wasn’t close. England overwhelmed New Zealand in his first two games before Black his Caps turned the tables. In nine months he will have the T20 World Cup, but more importantly he will have his ODI World Cup starting in India in less than a month.
The main points of this encounter are:
The Harry Brook question isn’t going away
Semantic saturation is a phenomenon in which a word is repeated so that it loses all meaning and does not sound like a word at all to the speaker and listener. Matthew Mott was arguably on the verge of experiencing it, as he kept calling it ‘provisional’ when discussing Harry Brooks’ failure at the World Cup.
No need to review the discussion. Brooke is fine. He could say the same for the rest of England, but Brook increasingly shows he has the edge. He is not in the England World Cup squad. But basically I feel that anyone who voices an opinion outside the England camp should do so. Mott’s interview suggests that England itself may be in a slump.
Brooke is not yet in New Zealand’s ODI squad, robbing him of one last chance to test him before the ICC suspension. Expect that to change.
Gus Atkinson has the goods
I don’t really know. A player can tick all the boxes and meet all the personality criteria, but until he stands at the goal or line, takes a deep breath, and faces that goal for the first time, the question is “Can I climb?” about it. Gus Atkinson took six wickets in two games, averaging 8.50 and 7.46 in economy. He was a fast bowler and bowled well with new balls and deaths. England’s World Cup squad may still be provisional, but now Atkinson’s name can be inked on thick pencil.
Brydon Carse: The new Liam Plunkett?
Brydon Kaas was late called up to the T20I squad as England’s speed bowling injury list began to grow again. He has the profile of a top international player, can bowl fast, if not as fast as Atkinson, and can use his racket better. He doesn’t have the number 1 yet, and his T20 record so far is mediocre. However, he shined in eight overs, clocking 4 minutes and 66 seconds throughout the series, earning a late call to New Zealand’s ODI again. A third deal at the last World Cup may not materialize for him, but he seems to have the resources to take a wicket when the odds are right and England have been one of them since the departure of Liam Plunkett. He struggles to play a role and it could very well be important at the World Cup. Mark Wood and Chris Woks are unlikely to make it to his 2027, so the next cycle begins.
England’s batting – and batting order – under question
If you thought the Harry Brooke debate was going on, wait until you hear the debate about whether Joss Butler should compete in T20I. He’s a great opener like everyone else and a better opener than anyone else. But he’s also one of the few players who can bat at mid-level with the confidence he’s had in this series.
Perhaps this was a chance to give Will Jax the lead. It was Jonny Bairstow who scored his two big goals, but he had a promising streak to get off to a quick start. But England, among others, struggled to capitalize on the platform. Dawid Maran, whose form is the most important thing in Brooke’s story, stumbled in his first opener in half a century. Brooke shined twice, but the series ended quietly. No one else scored above 30. A 2-0 lead turned into a 2-2 draw, but this shot was a big part of it.
New Zealand have the tools to mount a World Cup challenge again
Another major reason was another encouraging performance from New Zealand. Let’s not do that “dark horse” thing anymore. Everyone should see them coming after he won his second straight silver medal at the ODI World Cup, and they will be there this time too. Glenn Phillips plays a key role in engineering and has been outstanding in this series. If they want to back Finn Allen in 50-over cricket, a solid third win in 53 balls and 83 matches by his standards would be encouraging. They have a cunning and stubborn spin pair in Ish Sodi and Mitchell Santner. And they’re encouraged by the news that 2019 Tournament Most Valuable Player Kane Williamson is leading the race to 2023.
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