Mitchell is ready for ruck
ENGLAND have been given the “macabre” shock they needed to make sure they avoid embarrassment at the World Cup this summer.
Eoin Morgan’s men lost at Gros Islet on Saturday with 227 balls left – a record margin – as the one-day series against the West Indies ended 2-2.
Chris Gayle’s latest quickfire knock helped the Windies to a seven-wicket win and ensured England’s heaviest ODI defeat ever.
England coach Trevor Bayliss admitted the humiliating defeat was the worst he had experienced in his four-year reign and left the squad red-faced in the changing room.
But he reckons the hammering will remove all complacency heading into this summer’s tournament on home soil.
He said: “It was the worst defeat yet, just in the style.
“For Gayle to come out, throw the bat, whack a few and for us to lose in such a fashion, the players were embarrassed. And in a macabre sort of way it might be exactly what we needed, like a wake-up call.
“Just because we’re one of the favourites it doesn’t mean we can turn up and go through the motions almost and win.”
Jofra Archer, who qualifies at the end of March, will now be given a six-game World Cup trial before England decide whether to add him to their final squad.
The ICC requires each team to name their squad by April 23 but they can make as many changes as they like for any reason up until May 22.
That means they can give the Barbadosborn all-rounder a debut against Ireland and then face Pakistan to prove his worth as a 50-over match-winner.
Bayliss said: “Jofra Archer’s name keeps cropping up and I think at some stage we will give him an opportunity.
“We’ve got to name the squad in April but we’ve got another month or so when we can change it. It would be a bit silly to name him in a squad, play him and take him out.
“It would upset things a little bit too much. But now we’ve got the opportunity to have a look at someone like that, why not take it?
“Probably the way we’d go is in those matches against Pakistan and Ireland, I think he will get an opportunity to show us what he can do.
“He looks like he could bowl in all three phases of the game. He can take the new ball, he can bowl through the middle and he can bowl at the end which is a good skill set to have.”
The problem with fellow pacemen Tom Curran and Liam Plunkett is that they have just been carted around the Caribbean by Gayle. And in the case of David Willey, he hasn’t even played.
Bayliss, whose team start a three-game T20 series in St Lucia tomorrow, added: “The guys in the team have got hold of those positions and in a way it’s theirs to lose. If they keep performing and doing well it’s difficult to bring people in.” CHALLENGE: Mitchell JOHN MITCHELL has told England to expect the unexpected after Italy caught them with their pants down on their last visit to Twickenham.
Two years have passed since the Six Nations whipping boys baffled England with their ‘ruckless’ rugby tactic.
They led at half-time as Eddie Jones’ team floundered in the face of a strategy not to commit men to the breakdown so no ruck was formed and offside became irrelevant.
At the time, a furious Jones raged: “If that’s rugby, I’m going to retire. If you paid for your ticket, ask for your money back.”
Italy have lost every Six Nations game they have played since but Azzurri coach Conor O’Shea is sending a ‘no fear’ side to London on Saturday.
England’s defence coach Mitchell said: “It is important to look back at history and expect the unexpected. The challenge is to be alert and to understand the implications of what that unexpected might be.
“Italy will come with something, no doubt about that. That is what is so good about this game.”
With the World Cup approaching, Mitchell warned: “We haven’t got too many minutes left before then. So we want to be tested, to have to adapt to different challenges.”
Scrum-half Ben Youngs watched the drama unfold from the bench in 2017 before coming on and playing a part in England’s comeback win.
He said: “It was tactically different and smart and it certainly caused us some problems. As a scrum-half if you passed it in any direction you got intercepted. It was bizarre.
“We went in at half-time and said, ‘Look, we’ve got to create a ruck’, which meant hold on to the guy who makes the tackle, drag him in and keep him there.
“We’ve got to make sure we have huge adaptability.”