Following a 3-0 win over the Netherlands in his debut series as head coach, Mott's England have lost 2-1 to India in both the T20I and ODI series
Matthew Mott has given an honest assessment of England's performances against India, admitting his side "haven't played our best cricket."
England's new white-ball head coach began his tenure with a 3-0 ODI series win over the Netherlands but has since watched his side lose 2-1 in both the T20I and ODI series against India.
Reece Topley and Richard Gleeson were England's most impressive players across all six matches, with the former collecting 13 wickets – nine of which came in the ODIs – and the latter taking four wickets in two T20Is, including 3 for 15 on debut. Jos Buttler (60 in the third ODI) and Dawid Malan (77 in the third T20I) were the only players to score pass 50 in an innings with the bat.
"We definitely haven't played our best cricket, there's no shying away from that," Mott said, speaking at Emirates Old Trafford following England's five-wicket defeat.
"But we have an opportunity to turn that around against another very strong opposition. We'll have to take time to reflect on little parts - we've had passages of good play but lost wickets with the bat and a bit of momentum with the ball.
England missed Adil Rashid (right) [Richard Heathcote/Getty Images]
"There's definitely areas we can improve. We don't have long to go into it in too much detail but it has been disappointing. We thought we were under par with the bat. If we got wickets early, which we did, we might be in the game but [Rishabh] Pant played an unbelievable innings and took it away from us."
Reflecting on the possible reasons for England's indifferent performances, Mott admitted they missed spinner Adil Rashid, who was given permission by the ECB to embark on the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. He is, however, set to return for the South Africa series and is expected to come straight back into the side for the first ODI at Chester-le-Street on July 19.
"It will have freshened him up nicely," Mott said of Rashid's break. "It's given others opportunities in different roles, which will help future-proof the team for when he's not there. It's not been wasted."
The relentlessness of England's schedule this summer has also been a surprise to Mott, with his side set to play 12 white-ball internationals in 25 days throughout July: "You're moving from hotel to hotel, you don't have as long to debrief as you're used to. That's tricky.
"We're trying to be flexible and get information to guys in different ways, so we're not dragging people to meetings. I'll keep my eyes open, listen to feedback and try to get better."
Of course, England are not just adapting to life under a new head coach but also a new captain in Buttler. He replaced Eoin Morgan, who spearheaded England's white-ball revolution from 2015, after the Netherlands series, and reflected after the India series that he is "still learning the art of captaincy."
Mott has backed Jos Buttler to fill Eoin Morgan's shoes as white-ball captain [Dan Mullan/Getty Images]
Mott, however, has total faith in Buttler's ability to fill Morgan's shoes in spite of the latter's "huge" legacy.
"His leadership has been a baptism of fire," Mott said. "We've only been together a few weeks as captain and coach and it's developing a great rapport. He brings a nice calmness. He's a hugely empathetic person and has shown a great deal of care, such as when leaving players out. He won't be someone who stands up and makes big speeches, he'll do it in his own quiet way. He's got strong characteristics and [is] an amazing player – that helps."
Addressing Morgan's departure, he continued: "I knew he wouldn’t go on forever. I felt lucky he went on that first trip to Holland, he showed me the ropes, how the team ticks. He'll be a great sounding board for both Jos and myself about what he's seen from the outside. He clearly loves the team. Now he's on the other side of the fence, he has a really good perspective and will give us some good feedback.
"There's no doubt his legacy is huge, his leadership is renowned. But at the start it wasn't like that. I saw a documentary the other day and he had his early struggles when the team wasn't firing as well. You get judged at the end of your tenure, not that the start. I think he developed that experience over six or seven years, making a few mistakes, learning, getting better - that's what we're trying to do now. We know we've been off in a couple of departments and India made us pay heavily."
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