England at the pivot, Brook at the centre

Snapshot

Times have been turbulent for English cricket, and Harry Brook has stood in the eye of the storm. The drink episode, the headlines, the noise - all of it enveloped him just as England's Ashes dream unravelled a month ago. Now, at 26, the most gifted English batter of his generation carries a different burden: leading England into their first ICC tournament under his captaincy, with the residue of recent events still clinging and the echo of England's white-ball supremacy growing faint.

For years now, the focus was singular. Could Bazball conquer Australia? The answer arrived definitively and brutally. England must now pivot, quickly back to white-ball cricket, where aggression was instinct, where they set the pace, won World Cups, and forced the rest to chase.

But that was then. Since Melbourne 2022, their white-ball stock hasn't held up. Early exits followed at the 2023 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Even the run to semis of the 2024 T20 World Cup lacked fizz. All of it meant, Jos Buttler, the country's finest white-ball player, had his captaincy tenure abbreviated. Brendon McCullum's extension into the white-ball setup promised continuity and fearlessness. The early returns were sobering but there have been signs of recovery since. But the spotlight remains harsh. Brook has been captain for nearly a year. England need proof that the handover from one generation to the next is real. And Brook, prodigious as he is, now carries more than his own runs. But the burden of England, paradoxically, might just ease the weight of being Harry Brook.

The squad, and what it tells us

Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (c), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Ben Duckett, Luke Wood, Josh Tongue, Rehan Ahmed

England's batting runs deep, explosive enough to induce panic. That's always a good place to start building a T20 side. Then come the spinners. England can roll out a leggie, a left-armer and an offspinner, covering every matchup. A likely 3-3 split between pace and spin gives them balance, but it also asks a question. To keep their batting depth intact, England might need Jamie Overton to stand up as the second frontline seamer alongside Jofra Archer. If there's a glaring weakness in the side, it could perhaps come down to this overreliance on Archer being that sole pace strike force.

The road to the World Cup

England have not fielded a particularly full-strength T20I side since their tour of India last year where they were beaten 4-1. Much has shifted since, not least the captain, and several key personnel. But unlike the ODI team, England's T20I side has quietly built momentum. Over the last year, they have won 10 of the 11 matches that produced a result, beating South Africa, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand and Sri Lanka along the way. Most encouraging were the recent victories in Sri Lanka, on surfaces that should mirror what awaits them in the Super Eight stage of this World Cup, results that should travel with them, and with reason, into the tournament.

Last five T20Is: W-NR-W-W-W (latest)

The way they play

England score faster than anyone else in T20 cricket right now. Since the last T20 World Cup, their batting run-rate of 9.83 is the best among all teams in this tournament. Their bowling economy, at 9.16, is the worst. It is a neat, snapshot of England's SWOT. The Manchester T20I against South Africa last September underlined one half of that equation, and emphatically so. England tore into the attack to pile up 304 in 20 overs, the highest total ever against a Full Member, a reminder of what this batting line-up can do: overwhelm.

There will always be questions about how this order holds up against high-quality spin. But England are well-covered for match-ups. A surplus of all-rounders gives them flexibility. Then there are also left-handers in the top-six, to help manipulate angles and ground dimensions, each with a storyline of his own.

Jacob Bethell's rise has been steep and striking, the clearest marker yet of England's next batting cycle. Sam Curran, meanwhile, represents reinvention. He forced his way back through a standout Hundred, then owned the franchise winter - ILT20 champion with Desert Vipers, tournament top-scorer, followed by a productive BBL with Sydney Sixers. In 2022, Curran was England's heartbeat, a death-overs specialist who finished as Player of the Tournament. In 2026, the role has shifted. He is now a batter first, his bowling used more sparingly, a recalibration of his game, and of what England now need.

Who can bend a match in 10 balls

Phil Salt. Four T20I hundreds. The fastest of them coming in just 39 balls in that Manchester blitz. A career strike-rate of 166.52. Ranked No. 2 in the world, behind only Abhishek Sharma, and openly chasing that top spot. Ten balls is often all he needs to ensure England have bossed the PowerPlay, which effectively dictates how the rest of the match pans out.

Scheduling

England's group fixtures are in India, on the truer surfaces of Mumbai and Kolkata where their batting depth and power should feel at home. They are scheduled to then play their three Super Eight matches in Sri Lanka, where conditions could be slower and more exacting. If the pitches wear as the competition deepens, England's campaign may hinge on how swiftly they adapt from free-scoring ease to control and nuance.

Banana-peel fixture

England's T20 World Cup history against fellow European sides carries a few scars. The Netherlands have beaten them twice in T20 World Cups. Even in the title-winning campaign of 2022, Ireland sprung a surprise at the MCG. Scotland, meanwhile, remain an unknown quantity - England have never faced them in a T20I, their scheduled meeting at the last World Cup in Barbados washed out by rain.

The memory, though, lingers. The last time these teams met in any format, Scotland beat England, an ODI upset in Edinburgh in 2018. History, here, has a habit of nudging England when they least expect it.

What a good World Cup looks like

For England, anything short of a semi-final would be underachievement. This remains a squad packed with match-winners and the pedigree of a two-time champion. A place in the final would affirm their direction. A title would do more than that: it would wipe away the questions around Brook and propel him, instantly, into a different league in England's circles.