England are improving but winning is surely beyond them

Twenty20 World Cup / Editor / 11 September 2007 / Leave a Comment

Sports journalist Alister Morgan can't see Collingwood's men going all the way

This international tournament may not receive as much attention as the events taking place in France but the Twenty20 World Cup promises to deliver plenty of bangs for your buck as a punter or viewer.

One similarity with the Rugby World Cup is the fact that both England teams are not expected to win. Predictably Australia (2.82) are strong favourites with a batting line up crammed full of explosive talent. Factor in a bowling attack spearheaded by Brett Lee and you have the best balanced side in the tournament.

South Africa (6) and short game specialists Sri Lanka (9.6) are the teams most likely to give Australia a run for their money but few pundits are backing England (9) to make a significant impact let alone win as the seventh-ranked team in the ICC one-day ratings.

Anyone wishing to place a patriotic bet on England should rest assured that the current ratings do not tell the full story of England's short game progress under new coach Peter Moores. The recent NatWest Series showed a side willing to compete in every session against strong opposition.

The squad seems like a good blend of youthful promise and talented experience with England boasting some impressive 20 over specialists like Darren Maddy, Chris Schofield and Luke Wright.

Sussex all-rounder Wright has set tongues wagging with his impressive form and appetite for the big stage. In many respects his arrival reminds me of another of England's main hopes, Kevin Pietersen. His 103 from 45 balls against Kent was simply stunning and, best of all, it was no fluke as he hit more sixes than any other player in domestic cricket this July. His bowling hasn't been as explosive but Twenty20 averages are often poor indicators of form as every bowler gets smacked to the boundary.

With so much resting on the form and fitness of Flintoff and Pietersen, the emergence of the big-hitting Wright gives England the option of introducing some genuine power lower down the order. Other experienced Twenty20 players could make all the difference to England's chances. Darren Maddy averages an impressive 33.63 with the bat with a bowling SR of 24.63 in Twenty20 while Chris Schofield SR is 9.71 - stunning for a spin bowler, but he's yet to bowl to Andrew Symonds, Chris Gayle or Graeme Smith.

Renowned for his 'stickability', Paul Collingwood could never been accused of selling his wicket cheaply but question marks remain over whether he's the right man to lead this England side. Once again the sports pages are filled with extended commentaries on the fitness of Andrew Flintoff and Collingwood will do well to keep his largely inexperienced side focused on the task ahead.

Pietersen and Flintoff have not produced the goods for England too often of late and it's likely to be a baptism of fire for players like Broad and Snape without strong support from senior players. In that respect Collingwood is the perfect man for the job as he's fit, reliable and shows few signs of ego despite his recent promotion.

Overall, the best England can hope for is that some of their younger players enhance their reputations and the opener against Zimbabwe (Eng 1.08 to win) this Thursday presents a good opportunity to get some points on the board before facing Australia.

Two sides progress from each group so if England beats Zimbabwe their price to top Group B becomes tempting (3.1). If they are going to beat Australia then it's more likely to be early in the tournament before the Super 8s separate the wheat from the chaff.

Can England win? It's unlikely but the explosive format of Twenty20 actually favours the inexperienced in some respects because everyone's luck runs out quickly in this game. When the dust has settled England could perform better than expected but if you're looking for a bet that relies more on experience than optimism back Sri Lanka (9.8) to win.