T20 World Cup 2026: 3 England players who were underutilized

England had a first-rate T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on the whole, but the team missed out on playing the final by just seven runs in what was a thrilling semi-final against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England had an insipid group-stage journey wherein they almost lost to Nepal in their first encounter and were given a slight scare by the Italians. Their only satisfactory performance came against Scotland while the team lost to the West Indies in a high-scoring game at the Wankhede.

Despite qualifying for the Super Eights not-so-convincingly, the team sprang to life in Sri Lanka where they played all their second-stage games. They shocked Sri Lanka first with their tight spin bowling, outscored Pakistan courtesy a Harry Brook 50-ball century, and got out of jail against the fighting Kiwis.

The team had momentum in its wake and proved it by almost achieving a record chase in the semi-final. But could the outcomes have been different if the team management had utilised some of its squad members better or more?

Here are three players who were underutilised by England -

1) Ben Duckett

England had a major issue at the top of the order as Jos Buttler struggled to score runs in all the eight matches that the team played. There was so much of faith in the veteran that the team management stood by him throughout, ignoring the other opening option in Ben Duckett.

Buttler scored a mere 87 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 116 only. The team would have done well to replace the right-hander at some stage to infuse fresh energy at the top of the order. Duckett, who is an aggressive batter by nature, could have provided fast starts, especially when Phil Salt departed early.

2) Rehan Ahmed

Although England's spin options - Adil Rashid, Liam Dawson, and Will Jacks - put on excellent performances on the whole, the team management could have considered Rehan Ahmed for more than just one match. Notably, the 21-year-old came into the XI in the game against New Zealand and played a crucial role in the team's victory with an all-round performance picking up two wickets for 28 runs and scoring an unbeaten 19.

Given Rehan's prowess with bat and ball, the all-rounder could have come in handy, especially in the group-stage games in which England struggled. The way the youngster carried himself in the New Zealand game, the Three Lions could have offered Rehan more opportunities for their own benefit.

3) Sam Curran

Curran played a key role in England's campaign and a substantial amount of credit goes to him for the team reaching the semi-final. The most notable of his performances came in the very first game against Nepal when the left-arm pacer defended nine runs in the final over to provide England a narrow four-run win.

Despite batting in all the eight innings and bowling in seven, the 27-year-old could have been utilised differently on certain occasions. When it comes to batting, the team management could have sent him to open in place of Buttler at some stage which could have been a win-win situation.