Exclusive: England Captain Harry Brook Backed by Darren Gough to Handle T20 Pressure

Seventy-four per cent of the England squad for the ICC T20 World Cup have experience in the Indian Premier League. 

And they recently whitewashed Sri Lanka in a three-match series in the island, which makes them a strong contender in the 2026 edition of the ICC event starting in India and Sri Lanka on Saturday.

England has all bases covered under Harry Brook, who will play his first World Cup as captain.

THE GROWTH OF BROOK AS LEADER

Former international fast bowler Darren Gough, who played two ODI World Cups for England, backed the Yorkshire boy to come good. "I have known Brook for a long time. He is a tough character, and has been through a lot in the past few years and has matured," he told Sportsboom.co.uk on Friday.

The 26-year-old had a quiet Ashes with only two half-centuries. Later, he was fined £30,000 for being involved in an altercation with a bouncer in an inebriated state in Wellington on the eve of an ODI match against New Zealand, right before the Ashes, for which he apologised. 

"Yes, he made some mistakes, but I always believe you become a better person and a leader through mistakes," he added. 

"He will lead the team with a tough exterior, similar to Ben Stokes. He has had a difficult couple of years. A lot of things have gone against him, but he has come out of it. He is a fantastic player, and to come out the way he played in Sri Lanka to lead England to victory in the ODI and T20I series, after all he went through, shows the character he has got. I back him all the way," said Gough, who is one of the top-three wicket-takers for England in ODIs with 234 scalps.

ENGLAND'S CHANCES AT THE T20 WORLD CUP

In the recent 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka, Tom Banton's fifty, Sam Curran's hat-trick and Jacob Bethell's four-wicket haul are some of the highlights of the depth of the squad. 

"England's chances are strong. Out of all the formats they play, T20I is where they are most suited. We have good T20 players, very similar to India. We are very strong in that area. We have good new-ball bowlers like Jofra Archer, Luke Wood, Curran, and good all-rounders and power-hitters at the back end like Jamie Overton. Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid and Jacks have been excellent in the spin department," added Gough, who also has 229 Test wickets.

England has a problem of plenty in the batting department. 

"We are fortunate that we have a choice to make as to who plays. We have one place up for grabs with the bat. I think they will go with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, and have to decide whether to keep Bethell, Banton or Ben Duckett. Bethell's left-arm spin will play a big part.  

"England's T20 form has been solid. On paper, they are the strongest side, but India looks good too. New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan are good sides, but England has all bases covered. They should have a successful campaign. They will come very close, even if they don't win it," said the veteran.

Two-time T20 World Cup champion England is in Group C with Nepal, Italy, the West Indies and Scotland. They begin their tournament against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. 

The last time England played the T20 World Cup in India, they finished runners-up, in 2016.