For four years up to last summer's World Cup victory, T20 cricket understandably took a back seat for England. Developing a 50-over blueprint was the focus, a home World Cup was there to be won. But the priority given to ODI cricket meant that their preparations for the T20 World Cup, originally scheduled for later this year before it was pushed back due to COVID-19, were going to be rushed. The delay has given them more time to get their plans in place. But the current situation has presented them with another problem.
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Morgan focused on England playing at full-strength ahead of WC
"One of the challenges between now and the World Cup next year is going to be getting our strongest team on the park as often as we can" - Morgan © Getty
England have faced a unique challenge this summer because of the precautions in place for COVID-19. Their players have had to be cocooned in bio-secure bubbles during the two Test series and the ODI rubber against Ireland. The players and management have not been able to leave those bubbles between games which has meant, for instance, that the Test match squad has been in a bubble for eight of the past nine weeks.
As such, from a well-being perspective, England have had to be careful about managing their all-format players in order to allow them some time with their families and away from the suffocating nature of an existence living on a cricket ground. The ECB have also wanted to keep the bubbles secure and avoid any chance of cross-contamination which has limited the scope they have had to move players between bubbles. The result? The white-ball squads have not been full strength so far this summer.
England did not select any of their Test players for the 50-over series against Ireland last month, which left them without as many as six first choice players. They have also not picked a number of their first choice T20 cricketers, including Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, for the three T20Is against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford, the first of which is on Friday (August 28). Ben Stokes missed the last two Tests against Pakistan to return to New Zealand for family reasons but probably would have missed this series anyway. England may, however, include their all-format players for the T20 and ODI series against Australia which follow the games against Pakistan.
Nevertheless, in a COVID-19 world where it is potentially going to be more difficult for players to switch between bubbles to play all formats, England have a dilemma. "One of the challenges between now and the World Cup next year is going to be getting our strongest team on the park as often as we can,"
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