Daily Times

MANCHESTER: Stuart Broad believes England are on course to win the Twenty20 World Cup after a dramatic victory against Pakistan. England made it four white-ball series wins from four with a tense three-wicket success at Old Trafford on Tuesday that sealed a 2-1 T20 campaign triumph as they reached a target of 155 with two balls to spare. Broad, a former England T20 captain, was watching as a member of the Sky Sports’ commentary team and the sight of skipper Eoin Morgan lifting silverware had him thinking ahead to October’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. “I was just watching Morgs lift the trophy there and I think we’re going to win the World Cup,” said Broad, now a Test specialist. “We’ve got so many bases covered. We’ve got so much depth, they play fearless cricket, I just think we’re going to win the World Cup. It’s all looking pretty rosy,” the England pace great added.

But England opener Jason Roy, named player of the match after making 64 off 36 balls on a spin-friendly pitch, was rather more cautious. “It’s pretty rosy in the garden until it’s not!” he said. “It’s one of those games you can’t get too ahead of yourself, especially in T20 cricket. But for us to put in a huge performance like that, when Pakistan were chomping at the bit to right some wrongs from the ODI series, was great.” Meanwhile Morgan, who made a valuable 21 late on, was pleased by England’s performance on a surface far removed from their preference for flat pitches full of runs. “For the style we play naturally, and which we’re best at, this is the worst possible wicket to play on,” he said. “So it meant a huge amount, it’s a very proud day on a spinning, slow wicket.”