Mott views Young as essential to creating a fearless culture.
“We just saw this potentially like a real game-changer in terms of having that travelling role in different tournaments like a World Cup – particularly at the front end, to manage basically when we will get back to us as a group, having someone who’s highly skilled at building those quick connections.
“Getting the continuity of our messages is important and making sure that we’re the favourite franchise. So getting our ducks in a row in terms of when players arrive back, this is what we’re doing, this is what we stand for.”
Mott hopes that Young will also give players tools to cope with online criticism, which appeared to distract the team in India. “Sometimes when you get negative press, or you get questioned a lot about decision-making, you can get inside yourself a little bit.
“I worry for people that do read that stuff. It’s a genuine concern. I’ve seen players get caught up in it, even support staff get caught up in it – not just in this job but elsewhere. It distracts you from your core beliefs.”
‘Our batting matches up with any team in the world’
Despite the tumult of the ODI World Cup, Mott says that the T20 World Cup squad was fairly simple to select. Chris Jordan’s recall was underpinned by his death-bowling skills, increased pace in recent months and his batting prowess from No 8. Mott believes that the run-scoring surge during the IPL will have an impact on the World Cup, even if it will not quite be replicated.
“If you’ve got players coming in at eight, nine that can still hurt teams that’s really important at the back end. It actually frees up your whole batting unit, like we’ve seen in the IPL.”
IPL sides benefited from the impact-sub rule, effectively allowing them to pick teams of 12. England remain restricted to 11; Ben Stokes’s absence deprives the side of an all-rounder who could bat in the top five. “There’s no such thing as a perfect team balance – unless you’ve got a couple of genuine all-rounders, you always have to give up something.”
This time, England will be loath to compromise their batting strength. “Our batting matches up with any team in the world,” Mott says. England’s top four – Buttler, Phil Salt, Will Jacks and Jonny Bairstow – are the biggest cause of optimism ahead of the World Cup.
Yet England’s prospects have also been boosted by the return of Jofra Archer. England have no one better to make good on Mott’s belief that rising scores have made early wicket-taking even more important: “Our job for our frontline bowlers is basically to go in and disrupt the opposition by taking wickets.”