England's Super 8s Opponents
England will face Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup, beginning with the co-hosts Sri Lanka on Sunday.
Mixed Group Stage Performance
England's performance in the group stage of the T20 World Cup has been inconsistent, showing moments of promise but overall lacking conviction. While players like Sam Curran and Will Jacks have offered encouraging signs, Jos Buttler's challenging start to the tournament has raised concerns.
Below is an analysis of Buttler's struggles supported by statistics, alongside other key themes from England's first four matches.
Buttler's Quiet Start
Jos Buttler has found pace bowling particularly difficult during this World Cup, especially deliveries targeting the off-stump channel. He has been dismissed three times by such deliveries and faced numerous dot balls in this area.
His scores of three runs against both Italy and Scotland contributed to a total of only 53 runs across the group stage, which is a notably low output for one of England's pivotal batsmen.
The 35-year-old has experienced a subdued winter, failing to register any fifties in 15 international innings across formats, though his unbeaten 97 in the SA20 league in January suggests he remains capable of strong performances.
Buttler's dismissals against Italy and Scotland shared similarities. In both instances, while seeking his first boundary from his fourth ball, he miscued a length ball in the off-stump channel to mid-off.
"Maybe he is trying too hard to get a score on the board," said Buttler's former England teammate Dawid Malan.
"The last two innings he has played, he has tried to hit the ball over mid-on.
"Knowing him and playing with him, his gameplan is generally to look to the off side first and then pick up leg side, so maybe he's just going back to his basics.
"I don't think we have to worry."
Buttler was dismissed early in England's crucial match against Italy.
All three of his dismissals against pace bowling, including a nick off Nepal seamer Nandan Yadav, came against deliveries clocked between 75-82 mph.
Since the start of 2024, Buttler has struggled against pace bowlers in this speed range more than any other, holding an average of 35.8 and a strike rate of 129.
More concerning is his performance against spin bowling, especially as the tournament returns to Sri Lanka's turning pitches. His average against spin in T20 internationals has declined to 24.1 since 2024, down from 61.8 across the previous two years.
His other dismissal in this tournament was against Roston Chase's off-spin.
A Lack of Big Scores
Despite England posting a total of 202-7 against Italy, there remains a sense that the batting lineup has yet to fully ignite during the tournament.
They scored 184-7 against Nepal, were bowled out for 166 by the West Indies, and experienced instability when chasing 153 in their win over Scotland.
The issue is not with batsmen getting starts. English players have reached 25 runs 14 times so far—the highest of any team in the competition—but only four of those innings have been converted into fifties. No England player has scored above 75.
Will Jacks rejected the idea that this is due to batsmen shirking responsibility.
"Responsibility in T20 can be misunderstood," he said. "Sometimes the responsibility is to try and hit 30 off the over."
Dawid Malan suggested The Hundred format might be influencing batting approaches.
"There's more emphasis on the first 10 overs now, so if you lose wickets in those first 10 overs then it makes it harder towards the end, but you still need to keep going," he said.
"I used to always worry more about the second 10 overs, so it was about setting things up and then being able to get to that 180 or 190-mark, if the score and wicket dictated it.
"A lot of these players are playing in The Hundred which is less balls, meaning you have to keep going earlier, and it doesn't really teach you to soak up the pressure for an over or two."
Jacob Bethell was described as 'crestfallen' after scoring 23.
Brook's Indian Struggles
Captain Harry Brook has been dismissed by spin bowling in three consecutive innings after starting the tournament with a 53 against Nepal.
This is a recurring issue for Brook, who since the start of 2024 averages 47 against pace in T20 internationals but only 23.5 against spin.
Brook's difficulties are notable given his recent outstanding 136 not out on a turning pitch in a one-day international in Sri Lanka last month.
As the tournament returns to Sri Lanka for the Super 8s, this environment may benefit Brook, especially considering his lower T20 average of 20.5 in India.
Regarding his struggles against spin, Malan commented:
"It has probably been his weakness but, saying that, when you bat at four, five or six in T20 cricket and you're walking in at the ninth or 10th over, the majority of balls you are going to face are spin.
"If he is out there for eight overs and he is facing six overs of spin, there is a high chance he's going to get out against spin after starting against spin.
"He changed his technique at the beginning of the year to become better at spin.
"He keeps his bat on the floor for longer whereas he used to stay up."
The Good and the Bad of Jacks
One of the positive aspects of England's World Cup campaign has been Will Jacks' promising performances as the team's finisher.
His unbeaten 39 from 18 balls in the narrow four-run victory over Nepal was vital, as was his maiden T20 international fifty against Italy, achieved from a challenging position of 101-5.
Jacks only assumed the finisher's role at the start of last summer but is performing well compared to predecessors.
However, his bowling has been less effective. With leg-spinner Adil Rashid and left-arm spinners Liam Dawson and Jacob Bethell in the squad, Jacks' role as an off-spinner is significant as he spins the ball in the opposite direction.
It is problematic for England that his six overs have conceded 83 runs with just two wickets.
Jacks has struggled particularly when batsmen have employed the sweep shot, conceding 31 runs from eight sweeps during the group stage.
Although his average amount of turn has only slightly decreased—from 3.5 degrees in the pre-tournament series in Sri Lanka to 3.3 degrees—his drift has reduced more noticeably, from 1.7 degrees in Sri Lanka to 1 degree.
Jacks' bowling was erratic during the group stage, often tasked with the difficult job of bowling in the powerplay.
Curran Coming Through Under Pressure
Sam Curran has delivered in high-pressure moments during the group stage.
Against Nepal, he successfully defended 10 runs in the final over. When Italy and Grant Stewart were scoring quickly on Monday, Curran stemmed the flow of runs and then dismissed Stewart.
Curran, who was out of favour until September last year, has embraced the role of England's death bowler effectively.
He has been particularly successful with yorkers, conceding just 5.07 runs per over when bowling full length at the death, compared to 14.14 runs per over when bowling shorter deliveries.
While Curran is often praised for his clever slower balls, he has maintained pace above 80 mph during crucial final overs.
More importantly, his control of line has been a key factor.
He has bowled yorkers targeting the stumps and also utilized wide deliveries effectively.
