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3 min readKolkataUpdated: Feb 14, 2026 08:28 PM IST
Harry Brook's England have struggled for consistency through three matches, raising questions about their form heading into the business end of the competition. (AP Photo)
England captain Harry Brook said he would rather his team start slowly and peak at the right time than begin strongly and fade in the latter stages of the T20 World Cup, defending his side’s inconsistent performances in the tournament so far.
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The English, considered a strong T20 team, have struggled for consistency through three matches, raising questions about their form heading into the business end of the competition.
They scraped past Nepal by four runs after a late scare in their opening match, then suffered a comprehensive 30-run loss to West Indies. On Saturday against Scotland, they stumbled to 13-2 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.
ENG vs SCO | AS IT HAPPENED
“The run chases haven’t been as straightforward for us as we would have liked,” Brook told reporters after the Scotland match. “We obviously lost to West Indies. They probably got 15-20 runs too many and tonight, we kept losing wickets.”
Brook insisted that England’s stuttering start was not necessarily cause for alarm, emphasizing the importance of timing in major tournaments.
“You don’t want to start off on a high,” he said. “In world competitions, you want to kind of build it up and hopefully we can start that trend from the confidence from tonight and into the Italy match.”
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The struggles of England’s opening pair have been particularly concerning. Salt has managed just 33 runs from three matches while former captain Buttler has mustered only 50 from the same number of games, well below the standards expected of two of the most destructive white-ball batsmen in world cricket.
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However, Brook stood firmly by his openers, rejecting suggestions they had been overly tentative.
“We got off to an absolute flier against the West Indies. I think we were at 40 off two overs nearly, so I slightly disagree with that,” he said. “Salty got off to a flier against them and Jos always gives himself a few balls.”
Brook attributed Saturday’s early wickets partly to conditions, noting the lack of pace in the pitch made it difficult for the openers to play their natural games. “Probably tonight, it was the lack of pace, and it wasn’t as easy to slide it off and hit it through point or behind square,” he explained.
“But unfortunately, they haven’t quite fired yet but I am not looking at it as a bad thing. There’s a long way to go in this tournament.”
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Summing up his philosophy, Brook added: “We’d rather not start amazing and finish amazing than start amazing and finish bad.”
Sayak Dutta is Copy Editor (Sports) at The Indian Express and is based in Kolkata. He specializes in the coverage of football, cricket, and a variety of other sports. ... Read More
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