England, led by Harry Brook, suffered a 30-run defeat against West Indies in their second Group C match during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Former cricketer Sir Geoffrey Boycott has attacked the selectors for leaving out veteran batsman Joe Root, their “best player of spin”, from the World Cup squad.
England struggled to chase a challenging score against West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, February 11. Chasing 197, England were in a good position at 74/1 in the seventh over. However, the Windies spinners changed the pace and England were all out for 166 in 19 overs.
Geoffrey Boycott demands Joe Root’s inclusion in England’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Geoffrey Boycott criticized England’s selection choices for the T20 World Cup. He said Joe Root excelled on slow, turning pitches and controlled the game while other batsmen played around him.
Boycott wrote on
our best @englandcricket Batsmen on rotating pitches @root66 Is in England. Last year he batted and bowled brilliantly for Paarl Royals in the SA T20.
The pitch in Paarl is slow and spins. No one could hit his bowling and he scored more than one run a ball, the second
batsmen played around him– Sir Geoffrey Boycott (@GeoffrefBoycott) 11 February 2026
West Indies spinners highlight England’s baseball approach
England’s baseball strategy failed against the West Indies spinners. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Moti turned the match in West Indies’ favor with his bowling and finished with match-winning figures of 3/32.
England’s batsmen looked unaware of the turning ball. With pitches expected to get slower in the tournament, England need an anchor who can rotate the strike without taking unnecessary risks.
England have a squad full of power-hitters like Tom Banton, Harry Brook, Will Jacques and Phil Salt. However, with very little margin for error in the tournament format, the 2022 T20 World Cup champions will have to perform better in the middle overs to keep their title hopes alive.
England collapse in front of spin, all out for 166 runs in 19 overs
England were all out for 166 runs in 19 overs despite a solid start. Sam Curran remained unbeaten on 43, but the batting line-up failed to build a partnership as the West Indies spinners took control.
Phil Salt gave England the early momentum with 30 off 14 balls, which also included 24 from Jason Holder. England scored 67/1 in the powerplay, but the dismissal of Jos Buttler (21) led to the collapse of the team. Gudakesh Moti then removed Tom Banton and Jacob Bethell, reducing England to 93/4 at the halfway stage.
The pressure continued as Moti dismissed Harry Brook for 17, while Roston Chase trapped Will Jacques LBW. England slipped to 135/6 after 15 overs and never recovered.
Earlier, West Indies recovered from 79/4 to reach 196/6. Sherfane Rutherford scored unbeaten 76 runs in 42 balls with the help of five sixes and two fours, while Holder added 33 runs in 17 balls. Adil Rashid bowled tightly and took 2 wickets for 16 runs.
Also read: Dale Steyn exposes Pakistan’s poor performance in the World Cup against India
