Dubai, Oct 18 (IANS): Former England captain Nasser Hussain feels that pacer Tymal Mills could fill in the void left by Jofra Archers absence in the ICC mens T20 World Cup in the UAE. He added that Mills is one of the key figures due to him being one of the best death bowlers in world franchise cricket.
"The late inclusion of Jofra Archer in that squad was a huge factor for England as we saw throughout the tournament, particularly in the final, and his absence is a massive blow. England have had to learn to live without Archer in all formats but it's most keenly felt in T20cricket because he is one of the best in the world, whether it be wicket-taking with the new ball in his bowling at the death or with his economy rate," wrote Hussain in his column for Daily Mail on Monday.
"That is where Tymal Mills comes in as one of the best death bowlers in world franchise cricket and that makes him a key figure, because even someone with the experience of Chris Jordan hasn't quite got it right in recent times," added Hussain, who is in Dubai as a commentator for the tournament.
Hussain pointed out that England's warm-up match against India on Monday followed by New Zealand on Wednesday gives chances to captain Eoin Morgan in sorting issues in death bowling. "Eoin Morgan has had time to work on replacing a man who is effectively two bowlers in one but today's game and Wednesday's warm-up against New Zealand give him the chance to focus especially on the death bowling issues that have not yet been fully resolved."
"It is an aspect of T20cricket England have to master because, as we saw in the last World Cup final five years ago, they can get 90 per cent of their game spot on and then lose it by conceding four sixes in the last over."
Hussain concluded by saying that England will also look to testing a fresh pair with the new ball in the warm-ups. "England went through a long period when they were not taking wickets with the new ball, but Morgan has addressed that by using Mark Wood and even Adil Rashid effectively up front. He has also used Sam Curran but he is injured, too, so the captain might want to have a look at Chris Woakes and David Willey with the new ball in these warmups."
England will be in action in the first warm-up match against India in Dubai on Monday. The 2010 champions will open their campaign in Super 12 against defending champions West Indies on October 23 at the Dubai International Stadium.