England will begin a T20 World Cup which has been the focal point of their development over the last two years tomorrow (October 5) in Sharjah. Despite that pinpoint focus, however, there still remains some uncertainty over the XI they will field.
Ever since the competition was moved from Bangladesh to the UAE, sides have been relatively in the dark in regard to what the exact nature of conditions will be. England were preparing in earnest for the low, slow and humid conditions they expected to face in Bangladesh, even going as far as to make use of a specialist in 'Cricket Intelligence' to help them with selections and tactical plans for those conditions. But with a month to go, those plans had to change, with little data to draw from to inform their decisions for what they would face in the UAE.
Nevertheless, in response to the change, England barely changed their plans. They have four specialist spinners in their squad, and only one specialist quick in Lauren Bell. While they will have Nat Sciver-Brunt in their XI, they also have Danni Gibson and Freya Kemp in their squad if they feel the need for more pace options. Given the calibre of England's three senior spinners - Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn - and the sides they've fielded over the last year, it seems inevitable those three will feature in every game if fit. How the rest of the bowling attack will lineup, however, is less certain.
Four spinners
By picking an extra spinner in Linsey Smith, England clearly anticipate needing extra spin being more likely than requiring the option to field another pacer. Equally, they will play three of their four group games in Sharjah, as well as that being the more likely venue for their semi-final if they finish top of their group. In the only match so far played at Sharjah in the tournament, between Sri Lanka and Pakistan yesterday (October 3), spin was the dominant force. Pakistan, who were thought to be potentially the weakest team in their group ahead of the match, defended 118 and limited Sri Lanka to 89-9 in their innings. They bowled 17 overs of spin, as batter after batter holed out in the deep, unable to generate the power with the pace taken off to get the ball over the rope and up the scoring rate.
That result should encourage England that they've made the correct decision in packing their squad with spinners and could tip them over the edge to take the plunge and select four spinners for their opening game against Bangladesh. In order to do this, they will have to either go without Bell or without an all-rounder. While the top six is settled, England haven't quite found a No.7 they can consistently rely on. Kemp and Gibson are expected to fill this role during this tournament, with at least one of them left out of every game. If England forgo both of them, and the extra batting they provide, their four spinners could fill Nos.7-10, with Bell coming in at 11.
However, with batting conditions looking tricky, England might feel the need to play one of Gibson or Kemp to deepen their order. This is viable with Nat Sciver-Brunt also proving seam options, and if seam is likely to play a vastly reduced role, perhaps the smartest option. If England opt for four spinners, it's a straight choice between Bell, their most effective pacer and the benefits her height and the prodigious swing she gets on the ball could bring, and the potential of more runs.
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Which all-rounder?
If England do decide they need an all-rounder at No.7, it's also unclear who they favour between Kemp and Gibson. Kemp has only recently returned to the England XI as a proper all-rounder, after a back fracture kept her largely out of action over the last 18 months. She has, however played a significant role with the ball on several occasions since she returned. England have used both Kemp and Gibson in similar ways, as options at the death and in the opening powerplay. While there's little to choose between them - each has one good innings with the bat and equally struggled with the ball during the warm-ups - in what looked like a trial run of England's first-choice attack against Australia last week, it was Gibson who got the nod over Kemp.
Even if England decide to go without a second all-rounder in favour of a four-spin plus Bell attack, one or both of Kemp and Gibson will come into play during the tournament. The surface in Dubai looks on initial impressions to have more in it for seam bowlers. England will play their last group game against the West Indies in Dubai, and have the potential of a semi-final there if they finish second in their group, as well as the final if they make it that far.
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