NICK HOWSON: The T20I squad to Pakistan will be selected this week, but how many of the stars of the men's Hundred will be rewarded?
"[We need to] use that Hundred as a real springboard to get that confidence back across the entire group."
Matthew Mott may have been directly referring to his batters, but you can't help but feel there was also a message to the bowlers following the South Africa white-ball matches.
An England men's white-ball team that made breaching Fort Knox look like an easy prospect is suddenly wide open.
Injuries to Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood, Richard Gleeson, Olly Stone and Brydon Carse (of varying degrees of seriousness), the initial absence of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes and the poor form of Jason Roy means there are decisions to be made.
Reece Topley has meanwhile taken a break from the sport to rest up to ensure he is fit for the white-ball assignments to come.
Pakistan host England on September 20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 30 and October 2 in Karachi and Lahore and though they follow the provisional World Cup squad being named they represent an additional opportunity to impress before the group travels to Australia.
Will Smeed, Will Jacks and Luke Wood have each done their hopes no harm over the past four weeks and are likely inclusions when the party is unveiled later this week.
Liam Dawson claimed 3 for 9 as Birmingham Phoenix, though victorious, were all but eliminated (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Tom Helm was only signed as one of many injury replacements, coming in for the unlucky Matthew Fisher at Birmingham Phoenix. He has repaid the faith with a tournament-best 14 wickets.
The 50-over world champions have been searching for depth in their death-bowling options and the Middlesex quick has been largely unmatched - perhaps only Phoenix teammate Kane Richardson has outperformed him - with his combination of slower balls, shorter deliveries and yorkers deceiving batters across the competition.
He claimed 4 for 17 on his home ground and would have taken the men's tournament's second five-for had Basil D'Oliveira not dropped a catch off Liam Dawson over the boundary.
"It was a pretty helpful wicket to bowl on," he said. "We stuck pretty simple, saw the wicket was doing a bit, staying a bit low. Just tried to bash away."
For as good as Richardson has been, he was somewhat embarrassed to be given the player of the match prize after victory over Oval Invincibles - "he should probably be standing here to be honest" - ahead of Helm after he took dismissed both Curran brothers in his final set, finishing with 3 for 11.
England men's white-ball head coach Matthew Mott has decisions to make (Steve Bardens/AFP via Getty Images)
Helm has been named as a reserve for the squads that went to South Africa and India and is overdue an international debut. He may have timed this latest run to perfection, as other candidates fall away, and is part of the conversation even if he is only called-up as cover.
After the 28-year-old had helped limit London Spirit to 139 for 6, Dawson set about trying to secure the hosts a place in the final. The Hampshire left-armer claimed three wickets in six balls, including that of Smeed, and didn't go for a single boundary.
The 32-year-old has been as frugal as they come in the men's Hundred. No bowler to deliver more than 125 balls has a better economy rate (7.10). Mason Crane has been much more expensive but his 10 wickets have come at 18.80.
Dawson wasn't named in either of the T20I squads during the summer but played twice in the West Indies when Paul Collingwood was at the helm, going wicketless and being punished by Romario Shepherd in the second match in Bridgetown.
"Unfortunately he's sat behind the likes of Adil Rashid for years and years," Eoin Morgan told Sky Sports. "Liam Dawson is world-class as well. On a wicket that offers enough he is a very canny bowler and obviously threatens both sides of the bat and today he was outstanding."
Previously, strong white-ball performances from those on the fringes of England didn't feel altogether that important. Suddenly, they're worth taking serious note of.
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