Like an ice-cold drink in the heat of Antigua, it was a restorative win for England on Thursday, both for the paddles it applied to their flatlining net run-rate and their mood overall. Granted, it was a mismatch, Oman with next to no answers to the fire of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, nor Adil Rashid’s befuddling googly. But Jos Buttler’s side did appear to be sweating on things a touch beforehand.
Defending champions in this tournament and ranked second in the world when it kicked off a fortnight ago, England were keen to stress they had not suddenly become a poor Twenty20 side overnight, a stance not entirely without merit. Equally, the same can be said regarding the blowback that followed a scruffy showing in the washout against Scotland and then the 36-run defeat by Australia.
