England left-arm spinner Liam Dawson insists the two-time champions will not be swallowed up by the hoopla over Pakistan’s enigmatic spinner Usman Tariq ahead of Tuesday’s crucial T20 World Cup Super Eights clash. He stressed that England was preparing Pakistan’s entire spin squad rather than focusing on a single threat.
England enters the tournament with a 51-run win over co-hosts Sri Lanka. Another win against Pakistan would ensure they finish in the top two spots in the Super Eight group and confirm a spot in the semi-finals.
However, after four of England’s top five batsmen were dismissed by Sri Lanka’s spin batsmen in the previous match, there were concerns about England’s susceptibility to spin – a question that could be tested against Pakistan’s attacking players such as Tariq, Shadab Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Syed Ayub, Salman Agha and Mohammad Nawaz.
Tarik drew attention for his unusual movements throughout the game, including a noticeable pause before the break. England captain Harry Brooke even imitates Tariq’s bowling style in training. Despite the spotlight on Pakistan’s spinners, Dawson stressed the importance of a balanced approach.
“It’s not just about Tariq. They’re a very good team with some dangerous players and Tarik is obviously a very good bowler. But we’re not going to just look at him. We’re going to look at the whole team and see how we can eliminate them,” Dawson told reporters on the eve of the game.
Dawson played a key role in England’s win over Sri Lanka, taking seven wickets in partnership with Will Jacks and Adil Rashid as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 95 while chasing a score of 146/9. He points to the versatility of England’s rotating attack as a major advantage.
“We are both very different types of spinners. Jack West has a lot of over-spin and a lot of bounce. Dilli (Rashid) has all his variations. I – I kind of don’t get the bounce as much as the other two guys. It will be a different challenge on Tuesday night. We might get a better wicket to bat. We’ll have to see.”
“Out of the three or four of us, I’m probably more of a defensive spinner and I know that’s my role and I’m just trying to be consistent as captain. Adil can use all his tricks and he’ll attack us and take wickets and get us back in the game or put us ahead in the game.
“We are all very experienced. If you look at the amount of cricket that Adil and I have played and even Jacks too, probably only Beth’s experience may be a little less. But there is a lot of trust in those who go out and try to execute what you want to try and do,” he added.
