T20 World Cup 2022: England's all-rounder template sets the standard for future T20 teams

It's telling that Chris Woakes, who is by definition a bowling all-rounder, comes in to bat at number 9 for England. That's a tail-end position for someone who is a genuine batsman. 

But that is England's advantage – they stock the team with genuine all-rounders to the point that their batting and bowling have plenty of depth. 

Proof of it is from England's last two games. Moeen Ali – a player who's taken a hat trick in Test cricket, lest we forget – didn't bowl even a single over. 

And it isn't just Moeen who can fulfill a role with both bat and ball. There's Ben Stokes, easily one of the best all-rounders in world cricket today – if not the best. 

He doesn't often bowl his full quota of overs in T20Is but can chip in with a few overs here or there and is a handy bat, even if that needs to be reflected in his T20I stats. 

Then there's Liam Livingstone, who's more of a batsman than a bowler but whose most significant impact has been with the ball in this tournament. 

There is also Sam Curran, who won the player of the tournament award and is a genuine game-changer with both the bat and ball. He barely got to show that with the bat, mostly because he wasn't needed to. 

Nevertheless, England knew they could call on him to deliver the goods if they needed to – and that's central to their approach. 

They can bat explosively as and when the situation demands it simply because if they take that approach and one or two batters get out cheaply, they know they have plenty of batting depth. 

But having so many all-around options also helps them in their bowling, and that is why England can play only two full-time bowlers in their playing XI. 

And mind you, even those two bowlers can bat – Mark Wood has a Test half-century in an Ashes encounter, Adil Rashid has a first-class hundred, and Chris Jordan, the man who stepped in for Wood, also has a fair bit of pedigree with the bat. 

So is this the way forward for all teams? It is hard to say because it is impossible to expect every team to have so many all-around options. 

However, if plans are put in place to consciously groom players who can do a job with both bat and ball and chances are afforded to them in the national team, it can be done. 

One thing, however, is for sure – England have shown people a valuable way of getting results in white-ball cricket. Their focus is on having many players who can do many jobs. 

And if any other team wants similar success, they might want to adopt a matching template in the future.