Kolkata: If any cricketer endured tough times with the England cricket team, it is Derek Pringle. The valuable all-rounder – who predominantly played under the shadow of the legendary Ian Botham – believes the current England squad is capable of clinching the ICC World Twenty20 title if they rearrange their bowling attack and use the bench smartly.
The Englishmen will meet West Indies in the final of the mega event here at the historic Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Talking about rough waters, the same gang (under Eoin Morgan’s leadership) received a blow in the ICC World Cup 2015 Down Under. They were knocked out in the group stage by Bangladesh, only to stage a royal comeback.
“They are batting deep but there is a bit of question mark in their bowling. The bowlers aren’t experienced enough in Asian conditions. If the pitch suits them, it will be good though,” Pringle told this correspondent in an exclusive interview.
He represented England in 30 Tests and 44 One Day International (ODI) matches.
His numbers may not talk about his greatness but Pringle’s ability to read conditions makes him a master. Pringle could cut down on pace and concentrate on swing whenever required in order to bag wickets.
“If I don’t see the pitch myself, I can’t say much but after the last match, England should rethink. They could bring back Reece Topley to bowl some cutters” added Pringle, who during his time earned the sobriquet ‘Pring the swing’.
The 58-year-old is himself a World Cup finalist. Though England lost to Pakistan in the ICC World Cup final in 1992 in Melbourne, Pringle’s bowling figures (3/22) stood out.
“In Kolkata, the ground staff will hopefully take a lot of pride if they prepare a good pitch. In the India-Pakistan game, it turned a lot,” asserted Pringle, who has 70 Test wickets and 44 ODI wickets to his credit.
However, Pringle is all praise for Jason Roy – the revelation.
Roy played a lone hand (78 off 44 balls) in England’s demolition of New Zealand in the first semi-final at Feroz Shah Kotla.
“He is one of those players who is confident, he is quite an orthodox player. He is not like Virat Kohli, he will never play fancy shots,” he said.
Morgan faced a lot of criticism after the Trans Tasman debacle last year but Pringle holds him on a pedestal.
“He is a fearless cricketer. We need his expertise in Indian conditions to win the final. Hopefully, he will come good enough in the final,” he added.
