England Coach Urges Squad to Block Out External Noise and Focus on Two Vital Matches
England’s head coach, Matthew Mott, has emphasized the need for his team to disregard the ongoing debate surrounding run-rate calculations and instead concentrate on securing victories against Oman on Thursday and Namibia in their remaining T20 World Cup fixtures.
Mott acknowledged the potential for a controversy, sparked by comments from Australian player Josh Hazlewood, who suggested that his team could intentionally “knock it around and drag it out” against Scotland in their final group match. Such a tactic would echo Steve Waugh’s infamous go-slow against West Indies at the 1999 World Cup, with the aim of manipulating the elimination of the defending champions, England.
However, Mott played down Hazlewood’s remarks, stating, “I think I know Josh pretty well and I know his integrity. He has got a very good sense of humour and I am hoping it was very much tongue-in-cheek. I actually don’t think it is ever going to play out. Having grown up in Australia, and the will to win every game, I am sure they will come to the fore.“
Regardless of the external noise, Mott emphasized that England’s sole focus must be on securing victories in their remaining matches. “Regardless of any outside noise about qualification, run-rates, all that sort of stuff, essentially, we’ve got to win this game and we’ve spoken a lot about that,” he said.
Adapting the Approach as Needed
The coach acknowledged that England’s performance in the tournament has been “a bit of a disjointed” so far, but expressed confidence in the team’s ability to regain their form. “We’ve played good T20 cricket for a while now. It didn’t quite come off against Australia last game, but I think we’ve got our structure in place, we’re really confident.“
To offset any potential run-rate manipulation by other teams, England must beat Oman and Namibia by a combined margin of 117 runs (or the equivalent when chasing) to surpass Scotland’s net run-rate and secure their place in the next round. Mott emphasized that the team is prepared to adapt their approach as necessary, stating, “If we get into a position where we’re in a dominant position and can push hard, we will. If we have to scrag and fight and get the two points, we will as well.“
Overall, Mott’s message is clear: England must block out the external noise and focus solely on executing their game plan in the two crucial matches ahead, in order to keep their T20 World Cup defense on track.
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