England begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Australia in bustling Lahore on Saturday and, while recent results have set alarm bells ringing, there is growing optimism that a previously lengthy injury list is at least beginning to ease.
So much so, in fact, that Jos Buttler, the captain, and Brendon McCullum, the head coach, may even be able to select from a fully fit squad for their Group B opener, with all 15 players taking part in their first training session at Pakistan’s National Academy on Wednesday.
The outlook was far less positive last week and not just by virtue of the 3-0 hammering in India that served as their warm-up for the Champions Trophy. Ben Duckett (groin), Jofra Archer (hand), Jamie Smith (calf), Brydon Carse (toe) all picked up knocks on the trip, while Jacob Bethell’s winter ended prematurely after a hamstring injury.
But three days out from their opener against Australia at the recently refurbished Gaddafi Stadium – and with Bethell already replaced by Tom Banton – only Carse appeared touch-and-go. The Durham quick did bowl in the nets at around three-quarter speed but has only just had stitches removed from a nasty toe blister.
Otherwise, a break in Abu Dhabi between tours appears to have helped the remaining injury doubts, with the groin problem Duckett sustained during the final one-day international against India – the most worrying on the list – not deemed as bad as first feared after further scans. The opener’s role in the field may be the only remaining consideration.
Archer, who sat out the final two games because of split webbing on his right hand, bowled at full pace in the session, while Smith batted and kept wicket after sitting out the bulk of the India tour with a calf strain. Jamie Overton, the one seam-bowling all-rounder in the squad, is also said to be over some recent hamstring stiffness.
As well as a heavy travel schedule, these injury problems were why McCullum decided to taper off England’s training sessions towards the end of the India trip. It triggered criticism from Ravi Shastri and Kevin Pietersen on commentary, as well as tapping into a wider concern that McCullum’s famously laissez-faire approach is ill-suited to an ODI side that have tumbled to seventh in the International Cricket Council’s world rankings.
But it may in time prove to have been the sensible course of action, even if England will still need to perform a handbrake turn on their ODI form – eight defeats from their last 11 outings – to challenge for the one piece of men’s silverware they are yet to win. After the reunion with Australia come games against Afghanistan and South Africa next week, with the top two sides in each group progressing to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile in the opening game of the tournament New Zealand underlined their title aspirations with a 60-run victory against Pakistan, the defending champions, at the National Stadium in Karachi.
Will Young struck 107 and Tom Latham smashed an unbeaten 118 to help New Zealand overcome a sluggish start and post a commanding 320 for five after being put into bat.
Glenn Phillips chipped in with a brisk 61 as New Zealand breached the 300-mark, which had looked like a distant dream after their wobbly start. Pakistan were all out for 260 in 47.2 overs, with the hosts never looking to be in the hunt despite half-centuries from Babar Azam (64) and Khushdil Shah (69).
