Bob Willis says England will be confident of winning World T20 final
Wednesday 30 March 2016 21:19, UK
England's sensational victory over New Zealand will give them great heart for Sunday's ICC World Twenty20 final, says Bob Willis.
Eoin Morgan's side crushed New Zealand by seven wickets with 17 balls left in the bank to move to within one win of emulating England's title-winning campaign of 2010.
The only blot was Morgan's continued poor form - the captain falling for his second golden-duck of the tournament - but Willis says there are enough match-winners in the team to carry the skipper.
"It was sensational from start to finish," said Willis. "I don't think I've ever seen an England side play better in a one-day cricket match. It was unbelievable.
"To win a T20 match with two overs and five balls to go is a real drubbing and that must give England every confidence for Sunday.
"Eoin's form with the bat has been very, very poor as it was during the 50-over World Cup but there are enough people around him performing that his failures haven't really mattered so far.
"Just as when Alastair Cook was struggling in the one-day game, you don't want this run of form to go on for too long.
"Hopefully England will win on Sunday but I'm sure that if they trip up and Eoin fails again, the searchlight will be on him.
"I don't see why England can't win on Sunday. They've adapted well and the old cliché is peak at the right time - don't play too well early in the tournament and England have got better and better.
"After that little hiccup against Afghanistan they've played superbly against Sri Lanka and now New Zealand. Fingers crossed, there's no reason why they can't emulate the team in the West Indies two tournaments ago."
England's form bears no resemblance to that which undermined their 50-over World Cup campaign last year and Willis says that transformation is, in part, due to the faith shown in the players.
"Continuity of selection is important - you have to give the selectors some credit for sticking with these guys.
"Clearly in this format you are going to have periods where you are going to get early and it's going to look awful.
"But one thing the selectors and Trevor Bayliss have underlined is the athleticism in the field.
"Now that Plunkett has replaced Topley, these six bowlers work very well together and give Eoin Morgan some realistic options if someone disappears.
"Jordan has just got better and better in the white ball game and that just comes from confidence and being selected time after time. He just needs to improve his red ball bowling if he's going to be a factor in the Test team."
Watch England in Sunday's World Twenty20 Final live on Sky Sports 2 this Sunday from 1.30pm.
