England have entered the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2026, but the Harry Brook-led side has been an average unit at best in the tournament thus far. They narrowly scraped past Nepal by four runs after a late scare in their opening match, then suffered a comprehensive 30-run loss to the West Indies. Against Scotland, they stumbled to 13 for 2 while chasing 152 after losing explosive openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler early, before Tom Banton’s 63 rescued a victory and restored some pride. Against Italy, England again looked scratchy, letting the tournament debutants score 178 in reply to their 202. Former England cricketer Nick Knight expressed disappointment with the Three Lions’ performance in the event, questioning their plan under pressure. “I was really disappointed with that as a performance. They have done what they needed to do, but I wanted to see real authority with bat and ball. It was like England stopped and drifted after taking those early wickets, thinking the game was finished. They bowled short and got whacked, lost coherency, lost a plan,” he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. “If Adil Rashid doesn’t bowl well in the middle overs, I worry that they are not incisive enough to regain control,” he added. The opening slot has also been a concern for this English side. Jos Buttler hasn’t scored a half-century in nine international innings this year, and has been caught at mid-off for three in each of his last two matches. His opening partner, Phil Salt, is without a fifty in six innings. Knight added, “One of Salt’s great strengths is taking the attack to the bowler straightaway, which gives Buttler time to find his way. But while in a rut, could Salt give himself a bit more time? You don’t want to be negative, and I think they have been tentative at times, so it is a very fine line.”
‘They lost coherency, lost a plan’: Nick Knight disappointed with England’s T20 World Cup performances
