Trevor Bayliss key to England's Twenty20 success, says Joe Root
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 02/04/16 1:16pm
Joe Root believes the steady influence of head coach Trevor Bayliss will help England stay grounded when they face West Indies in the World T20 final in Kolkata on Sunday.
England brought one of the least experienced squads to India but have improved throughout the tournament to earn their shot at glory.
Their opponents at Eden Gardens will be familiar, with the West Indies having beaten them in the first match of the Super 10 stage.
Confidence in the camp remains high and after recovering from difficult situations to win group games against South Africa, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, Bayliss's side turned in a near perfect performance to defeat New Zealand in the semi-final.
Regardless of the situation, the coach's "emotionless face" has helped his side keep calm in difficult circumstances and remain level-headed when things are going well.
"Trevor has been great throughout," said Root. "He's got an emotionless face, whether we feel like we're in front of the game or feel massively behind it, you never get any sort of tension or emotion from him.
"You dream of these opportunities as a kid, to play a World Cup final, and every time over the past couple of days I've looked round the dressing room or the lads on the bus, they have just been smiling.
"I think everyone is excited and can't wait to get out there on Sunday but it always feels like Trevor is very calm and relaxed about everything. Whether that's the case under the surface, I'm not sure.
"That's one thing that's really important in these tournaments, especially in the final, having that calm head in the dressing room that can bring you back down when you get too high or give you a lift if you need one."
Yorkshire batsman Root has been hugely influential himself as England look to secure their second World T20 title, having claimed the 2010 prize in the West Indies.
He scored a world-class 83 to inspire the side's record 230-run chase against South Africa, took a brilliant, decisive catch at the death against Sri Lanka and helped finish off New Zealand in partnership with Jos Buttler.
Root is second only to Virat Kohli as the competition's leading run-scorer from the Super 10 stage onwards with 195 but he was keen to praise captain Eoin Morgan's leadership.
Morgan has struggled for form in India, averaging 15.25 in five innings, but he continues to set the overall tone for the team.
"I think Morgan's captaincy has been fantastic across one-day cricket and T20 cricket," added Root. "We've chosen this way and approach, which has probably been a bit of a shift for us, and we've stuck to our guns.
"That's a massive factor in how we've got here. The management have been very calm, a positive management that has supported Eoin's view on how we need to go forward.
"Guys have gone out and been brave and played the way the captain has asked them to. We've kept wanting to improve and when it's gone wrong, we've not taken a step back, we've looked forward every time."
A dream final from the perspective of the neutral fan would perhaps have seen the hosts playing in front of a sell-out crowd, but Root insists that has no bearing on how they will approach Sunday's final.
"I don't think it matters, if you are going to win the World Cup you have to be the best team through the tournament," he said,
"If we are going to win we are going to have to beat the side that beat us already, otherwise we would have had to have beaten India on home soil, so it's irrelevant who we play.
"Every game here so far has been rocking so let's hope it will be on Sunday."
Watch England v West Indies in the T20 final on Sunday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports 2 HD at 1.30pm.
