England all-rounder Jacob Bethell says his team has a burning desire to improve as they enter the T20 World Cup Super Eights after a lacklustre group stage.
JACOB Bethell insists there is still a “fire” burning within England’s squad ahead of the T20 World Cup Super Eights. The all-rounder admitted Harry Brook’s side had been below par during a stuttering group campaign.
One of the pre-tournament favourites, England stumbled through their initial matches. They lost comfortably to the West Indies and were unconvincing in wins against associate nations Nepal, Scotland and Italy.
“I think there’s definitely a little fire in all of us to kind of really go out there and push the players to the top of their performances,” Bethell told reporters. The team has returned to Kandy, where they swept a T20 series 3-0 against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
England begin their Super Eights campaign against co-hosts Sri Lanka on Sunday. “We’re coming back to conditions that were foreign a few weeks ago,” said the left-handed batter.
“We beat them 3-0, so I think we’re definitely coming back to this part of the world with a lot of confidence.” Bethell said he had been impressed by Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka, who scored the tournament’s first century.
“I thought Nissanka played unbelievably,” said Bethell. “You know, he actually got off to a few flyers against us. But that really showed what he could do.”
The 22-year-old said it was important to move on from England’s group stage struggles. “I think everyone had the same mindset of, all right, the main thing is just to get through to Super Eights,” he explained.
A new mini-tournament now begins, with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand to face. Only two teams will progress to the semi-finals. “So now we’re here, then this is where the proper competition starts,” said Bethell.
Bethell is England’s top run-scorer with 143 at an average of 35.75. Key players like Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and captain Brook have yet to fire consistently.
He is confident that will change and England’s batting line-up will soon be back to its destructive best. “I think everyone just has that underlying feeling that we’re going to turn that corner,” Bethell said.
“We’re winning games of cricket and we’re not firing. So imagine when we do.”
The Sun Malaysia
