England head coach Matthew Mott has faced down his critics, claiming he and captain Jos Buttler are the right men to make the side “bigger, badder and better” after more World Cup disappointment.
The days of England being able to boast about being the kings of limited-overs cricket are now officially over, surrendering their T20 crown in a 68-run semi-final thrashing by India on Thursday having already lost the 50-over title in abject fashion late last year.
Now it is up to Mott to make the case that he can turn things around. The Australian, who is halfway through a four-year contract, has faced scrutiny over his position with Buttler also under pressure.
Director of cricket Rob Key will have the final call, judging whether a last-four finish represents the kind of progress he was looking for when offering the pair his backing last time around.
Speaking after their exit in India last November, Key said: “I feel this should actually be the making of those two as a partnership. If it isn’t, it isn’t, and you move on.”
While England were ruthless against their associate opponents, hammering Oman, Namibia and the United States, their efforts against full member nations were less than stellar in the Caribbean – losing three times and winning just once against the West Indies.
But although Mott expects the slings and arrows to follow, he believes things are improving.
“Obviously we’re in a results driven business and you guys (in the media) will have your fun at our expense I’m sure,” he said.
You always feel like you’ve made progress when you get to semi-finals— Matthew Mott
“But when you wake up in the morning and have a crack, do your best, you can sleep at night knowing sometimes results are out of your control. I absolutely love what I do, I’m excited about where we can go.
“We’ll lick our wounds in the next week or two and then I’m sure we’ll get back to planning. We’ll take time to reflect when we get back and then hopefully come back bigger, badder and better.
“We know you don’t get any prizes for getting in a semi-final but also you get a lot out of it. You always feel like you’ve made progress when you get to semi-finals.
“Jos and I as a partnership have been galvanised in the last six months. You learn more about leadership in times of adversity. I think if you asked around the dressing room, we’ve got a lot of people in the support staff that have given credit to the leadership group for the way we’ve stuck together in tricky circumstances. Sometimes it’s not all about results.”
England endured a curious campaign, coming within 45 minutes of exiting in the first round as a result of two washouts before progressing on net run-rate. They never quite put a complete performance together, with their best result against the West Indies wiped out less than 48 hours later by a mis-managed chase against South Africa.
Their were pockets of optimism – Chris Jordan’s homecoming hat-trick in Barbados, explosive innings from Buttler, Phil Salt and Harry Brook, and the consistent quality of Adil Rashid – but in truth they never carried themselves as potential champions.
“I think we were good without being great. If we’re being honest, we weren’t quite at our best, and we were hoping to peak at the right time,” Mott conceded.
“We’ve had a funny tournament, it’s a hard one to digest in terms of how good we’ve been or not been because it’s been so disjointed. As the defending champions coming in here, we’ve made a semi-final. That’s not where we want to be, but it’s not a disaster either.”
England’s next opportunity for silverware is the Champions Trophy in February, with the next T20 World Cup following in 2026. An injection of fresh blood is likely to freshen up an ageing squad, with the likes of Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow and Jordan all facing uncertain futures.
But Mott insisted it was up to the next generation to win the shirts.
“We’ve got a lot of players on the radar. It’s now up for the incumbents to make it harder for those guys to get through,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of talent and it’s exciting to see.”
