World T20: England need to bowl first to win title, says Shane Warne
'Associate sides must be kept in World T20'
Thursday 24 March 2016 10:32, UK
Shane Warne has urged England to bowl first if they win the toss at the World T20 as they aim to claim the title for a second time.
Eoin Morgan's men completed the highest successful run chase in the competition's history after putting South Africa into bat in Mumbai, toppling the Proteas' 229-5 with two deliveries to spare.
However, Morgan elected to bat against Afghanistan in Delhi and saw his side sink to 57-6 before scrambling to 142-7 from their 20 overs and eventually collecting a fraught 15-run triumph.
"If they are going to win the tournament the mind-set has to change," Warne said of England, who beat Australia in the 2010 World T20 final.
"I believe they should bowl first as it's when they play their best - we saw that against South Africa.
"They know what they have to do from ball one, as well as enough nous to know when to ramp it up and when to knock it around - it's when Joe Root comes into his own.
They know what they have to do from ball one when they chase, as well as enough nous to know when to ramp it up and when to knock it around.
"Bowling looks the weakness for England so they should look to get that out of the way and not think they need to bat first because it might be a turner - they need to play a lot better as well."
Afghanistan's valiant display against England came off the back of testing reigning champions Sri Lanka and a power-packed South Africa in their opening two encounters in Group 1.
Warne hopes the efforts of Asghar Stanikzai's side convince the ICC to retain the Associate nations as a permanent fixture in future World T20s, with the next tournament to take place in Australia in 2020.
"There has been a lot of talk about whether the Associate nations should play," added Warne.
"The smiles on the Afghanistan players as they had England on the ropes was fantastic to see and we want more of it, so I hope the ICC keep these teams in the World T20.
"They are going to improve if they play in these competitions, while it also globalises the game."
Live ICC World T20 Cricket
You can watch England play Sri Lanka in the World T20 live on Sky Sports 2 on Saturday at 1.30pm, while you can catch Afghanistan's next encounter, against West Indies, from 9am, Sunday on the same channel.
