Skipper Eoin Morgan is confident England’s youthful squad are capable of handling the pressure of an ICC World Twenty20 in India.
Morgan has suffered disappointment in global tournaments since he was part of the England side that ended a 35-year wait for an ICC limited-overs trophy with victory at the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean.
England reached the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup and after exiting the last two World T20s in the Super Eights and Super 10s respectively, crashed out of last year’s 50-over event at the group stage.
But with a fresh 15-man squad, which includes six players yet to play in a major tournament, Morgan believes England have the hunger, belief and talent to perform on the big stage.
“I think this feels different,” he said. “We’ve a different group of players. It’s a new energy.
“It’s an exciting time for English cricket given the talent that we have in our group, and the attitude in taking the game to the opposition. It certainly feels different in that regard.
“We’re a developing side, a young side, and I think the more experience that we gain the smarter the cricket that we’ll play.
“I think in this tournament playing an aggressive brand of cricket and being brave, but playing smart cricket along the way, is part and parcel of it.”
England, who won both of their warm-up matches, kick-off their World T20 campaign against an explosive West Indies side tomorrow.
The Windies, winners in 2012, represent dangerous opponents with the likes of experienced quartet Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Andre Russell in their 15-man party.
“They have a number of dangerous players, the West Indies have been a strong side in the past,” Morgan said.
“They have a number of individual players who are very strong. But it’s important for us as a young talented side to focus on what we do best.
“The first game is a tough game, but certainly it’s not the be all and end all.
“It’s not about getting out of the traps early and playing your best game first up. It’s about pacing yourself, picking up confidence and putting in performances when they really matter.”
Morgan refused to give away any clues as to the make up of his XI for tomorrow’s opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, but it is thought Yorkshire duo Liam Plunkett and David Willey are battling for one spot.
Plunkett, a late replacement for the injured Steven Finn, conceded 19 from one over when he was given the nod in Saturday’s warm-up win over New Zealand, while Willey staked a claim by taking a hat-trick against England while featuring for a Mumbai XI yesterday.
“You can keep guessing. And if you could guess me a few winners at Cheltenham that’d be great as well,” he joked.
“Plunkett is an important player in the squad, with his extra bit of height and different trajectory to everyone else.
“Wills swings it up front, comes back into middle and bowls change-ups. He has a canny knack of taking wickets and that’s something that we’ve struggled doing for a while.
“That’s one of his strengths.”
Source: ECB