England Spinner Adil Rashid Optimistic About Defending T20 World Cup Title
Adil Rashid, England’s leg-spinner, remains optimistic about their upcoming T20 World Cup campaign, despite their disappointing performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place in the USA and West Indies in June this year.
“The 50 overs was a completely different format,” Rashid stated during ECB’s national tape-ball competition launch.
England concluded their 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign in seventh place, with three victories and six defeats, including unexpected losses against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
Rashid delivered a crucial performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final, trapping Pakistan in a web of spin and returning an impressive 2/22.
Rashid stressed the importance of not overanalysing the previous tournament’s impact, reminding that they are still the reigning T20 World Champions.
“We had a poor run, but it is what it is. We didn’t perform our best in all aspects of the game. However, this is a completely different format where we are currently the world champions,” he said.
“We’re confident. We have the team, the mindset, the players, and the experience. If we maintain the same belief, we hope to go all the way,” added Rashid.
Adil Rashid, England’s spinner, has more than just trophies in sight while setting his sights on records at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
“We don’t view it as ‘we had a bad World Cup’ because that’s a completely different format. It’s 50-over, not T20. We try not to mix both together,” Rashid further explained.
England’s T20 World Cup 2022 campaign saw them triumph with only one loss, surprisingly against Ireland. They defeated India by 10 wickets in the semi-final, chasing down 169 in 16 overs, and secured a comfortable victory in the final against Pakistan with an over to spare while chasing 138.
“You have the mindset of champions… we are not dwelling on the past; not thinking about a poor World Cup or players not being in form because things can change very quickly when a tournament or the first game starts.”
England lifted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 trophy after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final.
“Prior to the tournament, we may not be playing well, but as soon as the tournament starts, players can step up, teams can switch on and win the World Cup.”
“If you plan too much in T20 cricket, you might limit yourself to 170 or 180. But if you play with freedom, you can score up to 250, 300.”
As part of their preparation for the marquee tournament, England will play a four-match T20I series against Pakistan at home at the end of May. Their first match is on 4 June, against Scotland.