England’s T20 World Cup campaign ended at the semi-final stage at the hands of New Zealand. Ben Gardner marks their players out of 10.
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Jos Buttler – 9/10
269 runs @ 89.66, HS 101*, SR 151.12
Jos Buttler was dominant against Australia and even better against Sri Lanka, and while he failed to match those highs elsewhere, he made some sort of contribution every time he came to the crease. He’s arguably the best T20 batter in the world right now. Behind the stumps he wasn’t flawless, but it didn’t cost England hugely.
Jason Roy – 6.5/10
123 runs @ 30.75, HS 61, SR 138.20
Jason Roy was hit and miss, as he always is, but, as always, the misses still came with a scoring rate that didn’t hurt England, and his hits were spectacular. He was missed against New Zealand.
Jonny Bairstow – 2/10
47 runs @ 11.75, HS 16*, SR 111.90
An unusually quiet campaign for Jonny Bairstow, who struggled to get going in the middle overs in a role which has so far made more sense in theory than in practice, and was therefore out of form when a promotion to open in Roy’s absence did come.
Dawid Malan – 5.5/10
116 runs @ 29.00, HS 41, SR 119.58
Dawid Malan got out when on the verge of exploding against New Zealand in the semi-final, but though he didn’t play one of his famous match-winning innings, nor was there a feared match-losing knock either. He’s no longer No.1 in the world, but should still be in the reckoning when Australia 2022 rolls around.
Eoin Morgan – 6/10
68 runs @ 34.00, HS 40, SR 119.29
Eoin Morgan came into the tournament in wretched form, and though he didn’t quite look back to his best, his battling 40 against Sri Lanka dragged England from a hole and only looked more valuable when England lost their final group game to South Africa. He was dealt a rough hand as captain with half his first-choice XI on some sort of treatment table for the semi, but there will still be questions over how he managed the death overs, and whether he got the team balance right, given England’s bowling is their weaker suit.
Moeen Ali – 8/10
92 runs @ 46.00, HS 51*, SR 131.42; 7 wickets @ 11.00, Econ 5.50, BBI 2-15
Moeen Ali played two valuable knocks in England’s last two games, though both came in defeat, while he was England’s most economical bowler despite often being asked to bowl in the powerplay. Morgan neglecting to bowl him against New Zealand is one of the great what-ifs of that thriller.
Liam Livingstone – 7.5/10
46 runs @ 15.33, HS 28, SR 119.58; 6 wickets @ 14.33, Econ 5.73, BBI 2-15
Two of Liam Livingstone’s three knocks came in England’s two defeats, but each was excellent, with massive sixes keeping England in the hunt against South Africa, and 17 off 10 turbocharging them at the death against the Black Caps. His curious off- and leg-breaks are a match-up-loving captain’s dream, and Morgan used them to excellent effect, with his 2022 in the semi having seemingly wrapped up a place in the final before Neesham’s intervention.
Chris Woakes – 6.5/10
7 wickets @ 21.57, Econ 7.36, BBI 2-23
Chris Woakes’ semi-final efforts summed up his tournament: Exemplary with the new ball, but fallible elsewhere. His 20-run 19th over confirmed England’s exit, and, with hindsight, perhaps England trusted him too greatly at the death. Though his journey from the outer to attack leader has been heartening, and much needed with England’s bowling attack depleted, he may well be quietly moved aside once Jofra Archer returns to dominate the powerplay.
Chris Jordan – 4.5/10
6 wickets @ 21.66, Econ 6.84, BBI 3-17
Chris Jordan looked an improved bowler with the new ball and in the middle overs, taking valuable wickets and earning the Player of the Match award in a crowded field against Australia. But his death bowling has declined, or at least stood still while the rest of the world has advanced, and he and England paid the price in dramatic style against New Zealand.
Adil Rashid – 6/10
9 wickets @ 16.22, Econ 6.53, BBI: 4-2
Adil Rashid’s campaign faded somewhat after starting off spectacularly with a first-ball googly that flummoxed Andre Russell and kicked off T20I cricket’s cheapest four-for. There were two more cheap spells against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but he was unable to stymie England’s late leakage against New Zealand.
Tymal Mills – 5/10
7 wickets @ 15.42, Econ 8.00, BBI 3-27
Tymal Mills’ campaign was cruelly curtailed by injury, but before that he did enough to show why he’s so highly rated as a death-overs operator, albeit without delivering a statement performance. However, he may have edged out Jordan as England’s go-to death bowler in future.
Mark Wood – 2/10
0 wickets, Econ 10.12
Injury and the form of England’s seamers kept Mark Wood out of all but England’s final two fixtures, both of which ended in defeat, and both of which saw Wood leak runs and end wicketless.
Sam Billings – N/A
Didn’t bat in his only appearance, which perhaps suggests England should have picked an extra bowling option in his place.
