ENG vs SA: As A Selection Group, We Really Need To Thrash Out - Matthew Mott On White-Ball Squad Changes

England white-ball team head coach Matthew Mott said that the management will have to sit and think about the changes they can make following a crushing defeat against South Africa in the 3rd T20I on Sunday.

England finished the home summer without a series win, having lost both ODI and T20I to India by 1-2 and drawn the ODI series against the Proteas by 1-1. They also lost the T20I series by 1-2, following a brutal 90-run defeat in the final game.

“That’s the one that we, as a selection group, really need to thrash out. When you’ve been a great player and you’ve delivered great things on a big stage, I think you deserve a bit of loyalty. You get some currency from having delivered on the big stage.”

“But at certain times, hard decisions need to be made, and young players come in and add energy. Those two players are on the sidelines and they’re chomping at the bit for a game. I think that’s really healthy. They’ve now got an opportunity to go back to the Hundred, get a mountain of runs, keep putting pressure on,” Mott said after the T20I series.

“Obviously Stokesy comes back in to that team” – Matthew Mott

Mott said that Ben Stokes will be returning to the fold after being rested for the matches against the Saffas. He has retired from ODIs to focus on Tests and T20Is.

“Obviously Stokesy comes back in to that team. When you add players like Stokes into any team, it makes selection a hell of a lot easier.”

“You’ve basically got a free hit with the balance of your team – and that’s clearly something that has probably been missed by a few people. Having a world-class bowler that bats in the top four is a huge asset to any team,” he also added.

Ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia, England has plenty of matches in Pakistan where they will be tested thoroughly.

“There’s the seven games [in Pakistan] and I’m sure we’ll be changing our team around a little bit there, and then we’ll get that chemistry right when we take on Australia and then play three T20s. They’ll be the big games leading into that World Cup for us and we’ll have a bit more of an idea of where we’re at as a team at that stage,” Mott further said.

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