16 Mar 2016 | Cricket
The ICC T20 World Cup is the only global tournament that England have won, with Paul Collingwood leading his side to a surprise victory in the West Indies in 2010.
Only two men remain from that success, Collingwood is now a coach while captain Eoin Morgan is the only playing survivor.
There are some similarities to this current crop of England T20 players and those who lifted the trophy six years ago. Once again they are considered dangerous underdogs with potential firepower but not one of the main contenders.
The England opening pair of Alex Hales and Jason Roy have had plenty of time to bed in over the past two years and have formed a blossoming partnership. Both seem in good form heading into the tournament having made runs in the warm-up matches. Hales took the last T20 World Cup by storm as he smashed a memorable 100 against Sri Lanka.
With the World T20 taking place in India over the next three weeks, England will need to adapt quickly to sub-continental conditions. Spin is expected to paly a big part in the tournament as it has done in T20 cricket for the last decade. England have selected three spinners in their squad, with Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid expected to be inked into the first choice XI. Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson is the back up option who may be used if conditions require three spinners or in case of injury.
However, England's bowling does look a little weak when compared to many of the other favourites. The seam bowling is largely inexperienced, with the most experienced bowler - Liam Plunkett, expected to miss out on the final XI. Chris Jordan has often flattered to deceive and he will need to step up and perform in India to convince England fans he can cut it at this level. For all their skill and domestic experience, the left-arm duo of Reece Topley and David Willey are untested at a global event and have little international T20 experience.
If England's bowling means that they are reliant on their batsman, they may just have enough firepower to get out of their Super 10 group and into the semi-finals. Aside from Roy and Hales at the top, their middle order looks to be one of the most exciting in the world. Joe Root is England's best batsmen in all formats and is a proven performer on the World stage, and it is hard to imagine him going the whole tournament without a significant match-winning score. The captain Eoin Morgan has the T20 pedigree to strike fear into opposition bowlers, and the middle order that contains Joss Buttler and possibly Sam Billings is more than capable of chasing any score.
The power in England's top six is undeniable, and that is without even mentioning the all-rounder's Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. All three could prove vital lower down the order in a run chase. It's worth remembering that David Willey - who has batted as low as 10 for England recently - has opened the batting in the T20 Blast and made a 100 too.
So how does England's path to glory unfold? They start today against a stereotypically unpredictable West Indies side that have managed to pick most of their first choice players. Defeat in the opener and England will already face an uphill battle to make the semi-finals. With just the top two from the group of five progressing, and matches against South Africa and Sri Lanka to come, victory in Mumbai is a must.
England may not head into the World T20 as one of the favourites, but sides would be reckless to write off Eoin Morgan and his side. In Joe Root and Joss Buttler they have two of the most classy and destructive batsmen in the world, and Morgan, Stokes and Hales are not an able supporting cast. If their bowlers can step up to the mark and restrict sides to totals in the region of 160 they will win more matches than they lose. Once they make the semi finals, in T20 more than any other format, it's anybody's trophy to win.