GEORGE DOBELL AT THE MCG: A combination of wet weather and defeat at the hands of Ireland has left England facing a nervous few days in the race for the last four
England will be playing a "final every game" for the remainder of their T20 World Cup campaign, according to Ben Stokes.
A combination of wet weather, leading to the clash with Australia being abandoned, and defeat at the hands of Ireland has left the 2010 winners facing a nervous few days.
Even victory in their final two games, against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, might not be enough to see them qualify for the semi-finals.
To make matters worse, the weather forecast for Brisbane, where England and New Zealand meet on Tuesday (November 1), suggests rain could be a factor there, too.
England and Australia are currently level on three points each after three games. But while Jos Buttler's side have the better net run rate, the reigning champions arguably have the easier final two matches, against Afghanistan and Ireland.
Ireland came out on top in the rain-affected clash at the MCG (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
Whatever happens, Stokes believes England have to win every game they play and thinks that the possibility of shortened games - matches can be played over as little as five overs a side -
"The way the weather is, it is going to be like playing a final every game,” Stokes told Sky Sports before the washout at Melbourne. “That is what these competitions are about. You are always under pressure to perform. I think we'll be looking forward to the next two games.
"I think the shorter the format the more individual performances can get a team over the line. It brings the teams closer together when you shorten the overs of the game.
"If it does get to that point [where they are playing five-overs-a-side games] then it is probably only going to take one person to put their hand up and have a standout day to make a difference."
Stokes admitted England were not at their best against Ireland but was encouraged by their ability to bounce back from previous setbacks. He also expressed his gratification for the settled role at no. 4 he had been given in the side.
Fionn Hand celebrates bowling Stokes (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
"You have to assess the game and we understand where we let ourselves down against Ireland,” he said. “We were nowhere near our best and we can't be doing that deep into the competition.
"When you lose like that you have time to reflect as an individual and think about where you could be better in those five per centers.
"We weren't at our best in the field or with the ball in the powerplay, but that is fine, you can't expect everyone to deliver all of the time. It is about bouncebackability and we are generally good at that.
"We were disappointed, we've reflected on it, let it go and then got ready to play Australia here.
"It is a format that I don't get to play that often, but it is nice to get a clear role from the captain and the coach. Every time you go out to bat you try to play the situation you are in and sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn't."
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