England aim to put best foot forward in T20 World Cup title defence

England begin their T20 World Cup defence on Tuesday with a lot of hope and a bit of scepticism.

England lifted the T20 crown in Melbourne in 2022 after defeating Pakistan in a thrilling final and will be confident of repeating the feat in the Caribbean and US this month.

However, this edition of the T20 World Cup is already looking a lot more challenging than many expected, and Jos Buttler's team would do well to be ready for any surprises.

Hosts West Indies found the going very tough against Associate side Papua New Guinea, with batsmen struggling to impose themselves on a sluggish surface in Guyana.

The next game between Oman and Namibia in Barbados turned out to be a low-scoring classic as Namibia prevailed in a Super Over after both teams were tied on the score of 109.

Already, there are signs that surfaces in the Caribbean and US could prove to be challenging for the batsmen and that could close the gap between the more established and smaller teams.

England will be keen to avoid any sort of scare against Scotland on Tuesday in Bridgetown – a ground that proved particularly difficult for batting on Sunday. Moreover, weather will pose a constant threat. England managed to avoid morning showers to get a full net session on Sunday but the forecast for match day is not encouraging.

However, batsman Harry Brook is confident about his team's chances – and his own form heading into the tournament.

Brook, 25, withdrew from the five-match Test tour of India in January after his grandmother took ill and he pulled out of the Indian Premier League when she passed away, before kicking off the domestic season with Yorkshire.

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