Bazball and bust: T20 World Cup loss exposes worrying signs for England coach Matthew Mott

England’s body language was arguably the most concerning aspect of a heavy loss to Australia. BEN HORNE unpacks how Bazball bullies came unstuck at a tournament they should be dominating.

England’s players couldn’t hide their exasperation at each other on an ominous day in Barbados as their Australian coach Matthew Mott fights for his career.

There are no civil wars but it’s never a good sign in the early days of a World Cup for players to be throwing their hands in the air on the field and being visibly frustrated at a game plan gone wrong.

Australian matchwinner Adam Zampa was perhaps unintentionally blunt in his assessment of England’s body language as the players now have to stew for the next five days over a looming run-rate battle with cricketing little brother Scotland to avoid a chastening exit in the group stage of the World Cup.

“I think they were under the pump and it showed,” Zampa said.

“If your bowlers aren’t summing up the conditions quickly, it can get frustrating.

“We try not to be like that. We speak about it a bit. Our leadership isn’t like that.”

Jos Buttler finds himself under the pump after a loss to Australia. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Mott was an early mentor for David Warner and several others in the Australian dressing room but in Barbados they turned up the heat on their countryman, who has taken on the heavily scrutinised and what must feel at times thankless task of being England’s white-ball coach.

England’s abject 50-over World Cup failure last year and wobbles in the West Indies have all played out against a backdrop in which the ‘Bazball’ phenomenon is casting a dark shadow over everything else and almost putting Mott on a hiding to nothing.

English players can’t stop themselves drooling about the incredible environment cultivated by Brendon “Baz” McCullum in Test cricket and you could forgive Mott for feeling a little bit like he’s playing second fiddle, even though he did coach England to win the last Twenty20 World Cup not even two years ago.

There were worrying signs against Australia, not just the hiding on the scoreboard but perhaps most notably the body language of players who were contesting their first full match of the tournament.

Jonny Bairstow gave Jofra Archer a harrowing glare when a Marcus Stoinis boundary sliced between them, while the bowler Adil Rashid raised his hands to his head and gave a look that could kill.

There were other instances.

A year on from accusing Australia of playing against the ‘Spirit of Cricket’ at the Ashes, England missed a chance to invoke it during a one-sided T20 World Cup drubbing.

✍️@BenHorne8
https://t.co/DOnQg30gl1

— CODE Cricket (@codecricketau) June 9, 2024

Former England captain Nasser Hussain said in commentary that it was “ridiculous” how long it took England’s bowlers to realise it was a pace off, not pace on, pitch in Barbados.

Skipper Jos Buttler said that a plan to open the bowling with new spinner Will Jacks was an error. Travis Head and Warner punished him for a game-shaping 22 runs in the second over.

“Hindsight’s very easy to make different decisions,” Buttler said.

“We talked a lot in the build-up about potentially bowling two overs of spin straight away against the two left-handers.

“Moeen (Ali) bowled an excellent over first-up, so gut call (was) to go with Jacksy there.

“But they hit some good shots, quite extreme conditions with the short boundary and the wind.

“It was a call that probably didn’t come off today.”

Buttler spoke positively after the loss but in the lead-up to the Australian match he sounded like a man under pressure.

He gave short shrift to seemingly innocuous questions from the BBC.

There’s no McCullum or Ben Stokes in this English white-ball team but they have set a high bar for those trying to save England’s faltering World Cup campaign.