Jon Lewis: England coach says tactical disruption will help T20 World Cup preparations | Cricket News

England head coach Jon Lewis was satisfied with the team’s performance which wrapped up the T20I clean sweep of New Zealand at Lord’s – with tactical disruptions throughout the series paying off.

Lewis decided to rest captain Heather Knight in the third T20I in Canterbury, where the hosts won by six wickets in a nervy match, to create a pressure environment and give the team a chance to overcome the curve ball they may face in preparation for the match. The T20 World Cup in October, live on Sky Sports.

Throughout the series Lewis has made drastic changes to the team, often completely switching up the bowling attack to test out the strongest XI ahead of Bangladesh. After the conclusion of the series, he said he was impressed with how the young players in the squad responded to the challenge.

“I’m just telling them that there’s going to be disruption so they’re waiting for what’s going to happen, they’re not sure what’s going to happen, and that creates pressure, creates anxiety, creates anxiety,” Lewis said.

“If you sow a seed, then people generally don’t think anything of it. You just try and raise the level of anxiety in the group to a place where they can bring themselves back to a place of calm and communicate well and talk their way through the situation. .

“We got stuck on the bus today. I didn’t plan that. This in itself is a distraction. People are talking about getting off the bus and taking the tube here to make sure they can practice before the game. .

“While the players may have a lot of cover, they don’t have the experience of winning pressure time, so we try to make up for it by doing different things every time.

“Heather (Knight) and I sat at Canterbury, which is different, which we’ve never tried before, but it’s interesting to watch from the sidelines.

“We talked to the group about changing the team before going out to play and again. That made us worry. In the end, there was nothing, but that’s what we’ve done just to try. .

“It’s great to have some of those things play out in this series without having to do too much to manage.”

England also dominated the multi-format series against Pakistan ahead of the match against New Zealand where they also got a clean sweep, but there are still concerns about how they will carry the momentum into the World Cup.

The players don’t meet again until September when they face Ireland in another multi-format series before flying to Abu Dhabi for a pre-World Cup training camp.

“It’s a tough time for us to manage,” Lewis admitted.

“I spoke to the players in the dressing room and spoke to them about my desire to dominate The Hundred and show them what a great player they are.

“He will enter a new team with a new coach, new players and a new social group with a different captain, a different coach, a different team giving a different message, as well as making sure that he can continue to do what we have done as well.

“I want him to go and play the way he wants to and dominate the competition.

Bangladesh is expected to present a spinner-friendly pitch for the team and with Sophie Ecclestone, the No 1 T20I bowler in the world, England look ready for the challenge.

“I’m sure we can win, but we have to play in the conditions and we have to be smart, we have to think about how we’re going to play.

“Perhaps this is the most important thing. We believe that we can track well towards that goal.

“I think the team that plays in the best conditions in Bangladesh will win the tournament.”

Sciver-Brunt: England can take confidence from Ecclestone taking wickets

Katherine Sciver-Brunt believes England can also take confidence heading into the T20 World Cup from the fact that they still took a comfortable victory at Lord’s despite Sophie Ecclestone taking wickets.

Before the T20I, the best bowler in the world had 34-match innings taking wickets but he could only manage 0-30 in front of cricket.

Despite Ecclestone’s days off, Sciver-Brunt is confident that the team can beat the team without his influence.

“Knew they could win the game when Sophie Ecclestone went 0-30 from four overs,” Sciver-Brunt said.

“It’s not a good day for Sophie, but it’s a good day for England to step back and believe and be confident in their own ability to get the job done without her.

“Obviously he’s a big key for us and it’s the first time he hasn’t got a goal for us in about 34 games in a row.

“He’s a great asset, but we can’t rely on him.”

When is the T20 World Cup?

The 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup will be held in Bangladesh from October 3-20 with Australia aiming for their third and seventh titles overall and England targeting their first trophy since the inaugural edition in 2009.

Every match will be live on Sky Sportsstarting with the tournament opener between England and 2023 finalists South Africa in Dhaka and ending with the final at the same venue.

The 10 competing teams have been split into two groups with five teams playing each other in the pool stage before the top two advance to the semi-finals.

Scotland and Sri Lanka came through the qualifying tournament to join Australia, England, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh in the event.

Women’s T20 World Cup Group

• Group A: Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
• Group B: South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Scotland

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