Sports
ENGLAND’s 3-0 defeat by Bangladesh in the Twenty20 series has been an “eye-opener”, according to white-ball coach Matthew Mott.
Bangladesh are ranked ninth in the world while England are T20 world champions.
England won the preceding one-day international series 2-1, but struggled to adapt to conditions in the shorter format.
“It hurts, losing 3-0,” said Mott, who was named white-ball coach in May 2022.
“We were really proud of our one-day win because that was a massive effort. But to finish the way we did today will leave a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.”
In Bangladesh’s 16-run win in Mirpur, the hosts successfully defended 159 on a slow, wearing pitch.
England reached 142-6 in reply but were left to rue a sloppy fielding performance in which they dropped two catches, while a series of misfields cost boundaries.
“Our first 15 overs in the field was nowhere near the level we expect,” said Mott, whose side next play at the end of August against New Zealand at home.
“We’ve been up against a very strong home team, but we were up for it today – everyone was up and about. But for whatever reason we just couldn’t gather the ball either in the air or along the ground.”
England’s side was depleted, particularly in the batting line-up, with key players missing for various reasons including Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone and Alex Hales.
After defeat in the second T20, captain Jos Buttler said it was important for other players to get “exposure” in the white-ball side before the 50-over World Cup in October, which Mott emphasised.
“There’s been a realisation that we will be better off from putting these batters out there in pressure situations,” Mott said.
“You only learn from your mistakes and by getting those opportunities, and I am confident that we made the right decisions.”(bbcsport)
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Tags: Matthew Mott
