3 reasons why England are the favorites to defend their crown at the T20 World Cup 2024 

England enter the 2024 T20 World Cup in good shape after their 2-0 series win over Pakistan at home. Jos Buttler and company ticked off several boxes across all departments, and aim to be a force to be reckoned with and become the first team to defend their title.

England have not fared well in the shortest format since their triumph in Australia, two years back. A clean sweep loss against Bangladesh, and a series loss to the West Indies have been demoralizing. At home, England only managed to draw a series against New Zealand during the buildup to the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Such results, and the rising form of other sides may have shifted the spotlight and the favorites tag from England, but they are still very much in the hunt.

England squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup

Jos Buttler (Captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood.

On that note, let us take a look at why England can repeat their 2022 T20 World Cup exploits in the 2024 edition to become the first-ever three-time champions.

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#1 Balance and Experience

A lot of members from the 2022 T20 World Cup mark their presence, but with Sam Curran's place being in doubt and Ben Stokes not being in the scheme of things altogether, there is a bit different outlook to the squad.

The presence of all-rounders like Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali, who can support frontline spinner Adil Rashid, gives the side a lot of balance. England's trademark feature in recent times has been their batting depth, and this squad also does not disappoint.

England will need as much batting resources as possible and spin bowling options, and with the personnel they have, there is no need to compromise in either departments.

Although Jonny Bairstow adopts a new role in the middle order, he brings a lot of experience into the side, and so does skipper Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, and Chris Jordan. Their collective experience of playing in high-profile competitions will help England in more ways than one.

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#2 New players have integrated well into the mix

The biggest change to England's setup is their batting unit. They have found a way to integrate all of Phil Salt, Will Jacks, and Jonny Bairstow with Jos Buttler to forge a destructive top order, while Dawid Malan has been cast away.

Salt had a tricky start to his T20I career in 2022, but has always showed the potential to thrive with the modern approach. His exploits in the bilateral series against West Indies and the 2024 IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) only increases his value.

Similarly, Will Jacks has also shown immense promise, with his consistent stints in franchise leagues around the world, and has a huge opportunity at No.3 for England. The two new relatively new names have fitted perfectly into the national side.

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#3 Ton of match-winners and have all bases covered

Even with Sam Curran and Ben Stokes out of the equation, England have plenty of match winners among their ranks. Match winners or X-Factors have always been a necessity for a team, someone who can win a match single-handedly when nothing else goes their way.

With the ball, England have a fearsome pace bowling duo of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Their spin department is also promising, particularly Adil Rashid, who will have a mammoth role to play in England's campaign.

The batting unit pretty much speaks for itself, and the explosiveness in the middle order is also a huge talking point. The likes of Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, and Harry Brook will have a crucial role in keeping things running smoothly in the middle overs, especially when the opposition will look to bring some control with spin from both ends.

While England have Archer, Wood, and perhaps a part-time spinner for the powerplay overs, they have a death bowler specialist in Chris Jordan. They have Sam Curran and Reece Topley to turn to if they desire some variety in the mix as well.