England white-ball head coach Matthew Mott urges patience after West Indies ODI series defeat
White-ball head coach Matthew Mott has asked for time with England’s new era ODI team, stressing that ‘I think they played three reasonably good games…we just need to show a bit of patience’.
Defeat against the West Indies in Barbados meant that England fell to a 2-1 defeat in the first ODI series since their disastrous World Cup campaign.
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The squad out in the Caribbean featured a number of new faces to the format and despite finding themselves in winning positions in all three matches, the young squad ended up on the losing side in the opening match in Antigua and the third and final match of the series in Barbados.
“A disappointing result,” Mott said in the moments after defeat. “We put ourselves in a chance to win all three games and come away with a series loss, so that's not ideal.
“We mentioned before about the line in the sand. I think it's really important that we focus on the fact that this group's had three opportunities and I think they played three reasonably good games.
“We haven't put a complete game together and that's the frustration, but there are definitely some really good signs that there's a group of players who love playing with each other for a start, they're some really good mates in there, and I think it'll really take the game forward."
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In a rain-reduced match at the Kensington Oval, England were bowled out for 206 and left with only 188 to defend in a total that was never likely to be enough.
But a spirited defence with the ball almost forced an unlikely victory, with batting all-rounder Will Jacks particularly impressive as he claimed three wickets to spark a middle-order collapse.
“You don't want to make excuses, but to hang in there as a team and show the fight that they did, throwing themselves around and nearly snatching one was something that we're looking for."
The squad’s focus now quickly switches to T20s, with the five-match series against the West Indies - all of which will be covered live on talkSPORT2 - starting on Tuesday.
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“We've played really good T20 cricket over a period of time. It's always good when you lose a series to change the format, you move on pretty quickly. It's only a couple of days, it won't be that different. Obviously you've got a few new players coming in with experience. But it's much of a muchness really.”
The likes of Adil Rashid, Mooen Ali and Chris Woakes are returning to England’s squad, with the series acting as preparation for the T20 World Cup that will be hosted in the Caribbean & USA in June next year.
Another familiar face that will be part of England’s group is Andrew Flintoff. Flintoff returned to the England set-up over the summer in an unpaid mentoring role in what was his first return to the public eye since his near fatal car crash filming Top Gear.
Flintoff has since been an ever-present in England’s backroom staff, as his successful return to coaching resulted in him landing the Northern Superchargers head coach role for the 2024 edition of The Hundred.
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