Spin will play a big role towards the end of the tournament because we will be playing on second-hand pitches, especially in the day-day matches. Adil Rashid will become more and more important with each match. If I were playing against England, I would have a spin master target Rashid in the seventh over, which is where he usually bowls. Breaking Rashid’s attack would ruin England’s plans.
The key question is how England will use spin. England have some very good spinners but they also need to play smart. We have seen India use Rishabh Pant at No. 3, so I would like to see Moeen at No. 3 to split up the right-handers. If there are short boundaries to target or the wind is a factor, a left-right combination is preferable, especially with West Indies opting for two left-arm spinners.
There’s been a lot of discussion about the head coaching future but I think there’s been too much focus on Matthew Mott. They’re a bunch of white-ball specialists who have won a World Cup and done really well but everyone seems to be blaming Mott. He has two years left on his contract.
There are a lot of stories that could be distracting. There’s even talk of The Hundred being sold. There’s a lot going on off the field in England cricket. I don’t think you can just blame one person and say, “Oh, when that person goes away, suddenly it’ll work out.” And let’s not forget that Mott has already won a T20 World Cup with England.
This will be the toughest T20 World Cup to win. Usually at this stage of the tournament there are two or three teams that can realistically win it. This time around, I think there are around six.
Australia are the only team that has ever looked like a truly quality T20 team. India, West Indies and Afghanistan can win in these circumstances too. South Africa have plenty of talent too, but there is always the worry that there is something wrong with their mentality in the tournament. England know how to win a World Cup. If they execute it right, England can win it again.