Top 5 T20 players to watch out for and why they can win it for England

Over the years, England have struggled in most white-ball tournaments. However, the last few years have been different. Under Eoin Morgan, this England side has become a white-ball beast and they will be one of the teams to beat in this edition.

As far as their record in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is concerned, England have a win percentage of under 50% (15 wins and 16 losses). They won the title in 2010 and were the runners-up of the last edition in 2016. They will be looking to go the distance this time around and add to their ICC Trophy cabinet which already possesses the 50-over World Cup title.

Here are five players who could win it for England and will be the ones to watch out for.

Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow has turned into a beast in the shorter formats. He is a runaway match-winner for England. In T20Is, he usually bats in the middle-order and yet, he has been pretty successful. He has recorded 540 runs in 22 innings at a strike-rate of 140.62 in T20Is since the start of 2020. He didn’t play the second half of the IPL 2021 but he smashed 248 runs while striking at 141.71 in seven games. Most of those runs came at the top of the order. Thus, Bairstow can bat anywhere from 1 to 5 and still be effective. He is a dangerous player and could well be one of the key assets for England in this T20 World Cup.

Jos Buttler

Ever since Jos Buttler started opening the batting in T20 cricket, his consistency and impact has gone several notches higher. The 31-year-old wicket-keeper batsman averages 51.47 in T20Is while batting at the top. In 22 innings that he has opened for England in T20Is, he has registered 10 half-centuries and he strikes at 148.05 when he opens. Besides, in 2021, Buttler has amassed 320 runs in eight T20I games and has four half-centuries.

Moeen Ali

Moeen Ali has constantly been in and out of the England T20I side in the recent past. England have played 11 T20Is in 2021 and the off-spinning all-rounder has featured in only four. Even in those four, he has taken four wickets in just 7.5 overs that he has bowled and has scored 45 runs. Ali, the T20 player, is too good to be sitting on the bench. He can bat anywhere in the order and on those slow and low UAE pitches, his off-spin is more than effective. His IPL numbers are very good this year. Ali scored 357 runs while striking at 137.30 and took six wickets at an economy of 6.35.

Mark Wood

In the absence of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood could well be the X-factor in the England bowling attack. He has the pace and could be used as the enforcer with the ball. The 31-year-old Durham fast bowler can crank it up and he might just bring the sluggish pitches in the UAE back to life with his pace. Moreover, he has performed well in T20Is over the last couple of years. Since the start of 2020, Wood has taken 15 wickets from 12 T20Is. In 2021, he has picked up eight scalps in six games and has an economy of 7.50.

Adil Rashid

Adil Rashid has been England’s premier white-ball spinner for a while now. He has been very consistent as well and he will be the key in those middle-overs. His numbers in T20Is are very good in 2021. He has returned with 14 scalps from 10 encounters and he has an economy rate of 7.30. With Rashid being the lone frontline spinner, there will be quite a bit of pressure on him. However, he is a wicket-taker and could be one of the game-changers for England.