T20 World Cup 2022: "Unfortunately cricket is not played on paper" - Pragyan Ojha on England's formidable batting lineup

Pragyan Ojha has said that England might have a formidable batting lineup on paper but they need to deliver the goods on the field of play.

England will lock horns with India in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Adelaide on Thursday, November 10. The winner of that clash will face the winner of the other semi-final between New Zealand and Pakistan, which will be played a day earlier in Sydney.

During an interaction on India Today, Ojha was asked about his views on England's formidable batting lineup that has looked vulnerable at times. He responded:

"When you look at the England team, on paper, they look a very solid side. They have every player who can win you a game on a given day. Unfortunately cricket is not played on paper."

Ojha added that a stronger team can be defeated in the game's shortest format if they are not at the top of their game. The former India spinner elaborated:

"That's the reason why it is very important to carry the momentum. A lot of players talk about momentum in T20 cricket, that is only because a less experienced team can beat a bigger team with great experience and great names. That is only because the other team doesn't sync well or play to their potential."

The ongoing T20 World Cup has witnessed a plethora of big upsets. England too lost to Ireland by five runs via the DLS method in the Super 12 stage.

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"They are facing a team which has been playing good cricket" - Pragyan Ojha on England's clash against India

India was the only team to win four games in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.

Ojha feels Jos Buttler & Co. will have an uphill task to beat the Men in Blue. He observed:

"They have got great players but till now they have not synced in. Unfortunately it rained for them, they were fortunate enough to be in the semi-finals but now it will be a big challenge for them. They are facing a team which has been playing good cricket."

The cricketer-turned-analyst pointed out that England will have to address their batting issues, which came to the fore even in their last game against Sri Lanka. He said:

"Now it is very important how well England addresses those small issues. If we see the game that they played just before the semi-finals, they were cruising, they were 104/1, suddenly they lost five wickets. So that is something which they need to address."

Ojha concluded by stating that India will not let go of England if they get into a similar situation. However, he added that the 2019 ODI World Cup champions will enjoy the upper hand if they bat well against the Indian spinners.