‘Come in and play’: Mott tells fringe players T20 World Cup spots still open

England white ball manager Matthew Mott has challenged first-team fringe players to raise their game and claim a place in the Twenty20 World Cup squad. That said, he sees little difference between the two formats under his tenure and the 50-plus series starting Tuesday is another chance for these players to impress him.

“I don’t think it’s all closed yet,” Mott said of his plans for October’s World Cup in Australia. “We have a good idea of ​​what we think is the right makeup, but you want players to come in and perform and really deserve that spot. It’s still open to a lot of players and that’s why we’re looking at different combinations and trying to find out a bit more about our best makeup.

One player who has furthered his cause is Reece Topley. Having made just 27 international appearances since his debut in 2015, the left-arm tailor is firmly in contention for a place in England’s best XI after his three for 22 at Trent Bridge on Sunday halted India’s pursuit in his side’s 17-point win.

Richard Gleeson has also proven his worth with his ability to play through the various stages of the innings. He followed his three for 15 in Birmingham on Saturday with another tidy display, pinning the dangerous Ravindra Jadeja with a yorker to the death.

The victory gave If butler his first victory as full-time captain and despite losing the series 2-1, Mott said: “We learned a lot of lessons in the first two games. India came out with a very attacking mindset and put a lot of pressure on us. We expected it but the ferocity of this one surprised us a bit.

“Over the last two games we have improved a lot and it has been an amazing experience for some of these bowlers who have rarely done this at international level for a while, if ever.”

England welcome back Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow for the 50-over series and subsequent fixtures with South Africa from July 19. All three played on the Test squad and Mott is banking on them to carry their form through the formats. “They’ve been deprived of colored clothes a bit and they can’t wait to get back into the group,” he said. “I don’t think they will have to change the way they play much.”

Their extra know-how should prove invaluable to Buttler as he continues to find his feet in his triple role of captain, wicket-keeper and opener. Mott praised his captain, describing him as “magnificent under pressure”, and praised his leadership abilities despite struggling for races in the series.

“That says a lot about his character and his presence in the band,” Mott said. “When he starts scoring points, this conversation will die down pretty quickly. Jos will be himself. And that’s all I told him. Just because you’re captain, you beat, keep, all that stuff, you lead forward and then the leadership will take care of itself.

“The way he reacted, especially after the second loss and the series loss, he spoke exceptionally well in the group that those are the times when you learn about character.”

Mott promised his team would continue to be brave with bat and ball. With only so many holes to fill in the squad, perhaps common sense, rather than skill, proves the difference.