England told to use 2016 heartbreak as motivation to complete World Cup double

England are hoping to become the first team to hold both the Cricket World Cup and the T20 World Cup simultaneously.

Eoin Morgan's side famously won the 50-over World Cup back in 2019 after a dramatic Super Over and they are now bidding to add the T20 World Cup to their collection, with their tournament getting underway on Saturday.

They will face the West Indies in their opening clash, with the game a rematch of the tournament's 2016 final which saw the West Indies emerge victorious by four wickets.

And former England star Matt Prior believes they need to use that heartbreak to help motivate them to go one better this year.

Speaking to bettingexpert.com, Prior said: "I don't think 2016 will be a negative factor for England.

"I think it will serve as motivation and make them hungry. It will give them a lot of confidence because they know they have got to a final before.

"They fell at the very last hurdle but it's something they can do, the pathway and experience is there.

"If and when they get to the final, they'll be excited to go out and get stuck into the game."

England are missing two of their biggest superstars in Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer and Prior is keen to see other players step up and take an opportunity in their absence.

"It's a different team if you take Stokes and Archer out of any side, they're both world-class players in all formats in any particular T20s and they're great to have in the dressing room, you'd want to have them on your team," he added.

"It's not a surprise or sudden that Stokes and Archer aren't there so they've had time to prepare. It gives someone else the opportunity to be a hero, which will be exciting for the players.

"England have lots of very talented cricketers in that team and it's about which one of them wants to stand up and do what Ben Stokes did during the summer of his life when he won the World Cup and nearly single-handily saved the Ashes.

"I make England the favourites to win and closely followed by India. I want England to win the World Cup and I'll always back them, India are going to be the biggest challenge to that."

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