Kolkata, Feb 16 (NationPress) England's captain Harry Brook acknowledged that his team has yet to reach their full potential, even after achieving qualification for the Super 8s with a hard-fought victory over Italy in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Group C encounter at Eden Gardens.

“We haven't played our best cricket, but at the end of the day, we've made it through, and we're heading to the next round, so we can be happy about that,” Brook stated during the post-match presentation.

England scored 202/7 after being invited to bat, with Will Jacks leading the innings with a solid half-century. However, Brook admitted that the team’s batting unit has not shown the consistency they desired throughout the group stage.

“Yeah, it's been a bit of a trend so far in the competition. We haven't managed to string along the scores that we'd like to as a batting unit, but that's part of T20 cricket,” he commented.

Emphasizing the unpredictability of the format, Brook highlighted the necessity for sustained intent, saying, “It's a fickle game. One day you can score a hundred, and the next day you can get out first ball. We've just got to keep being brave and taking our options.”

England’s bowlers faced a spirited chase from Italy, but Brook praised his team’s composure and fielding standards for maintaining control. He particularly commended England's death bowling, especially Sam Curran, whose timely wickets secured the win.

“We fielded excellently. We bowled well too, and I never really had any doubt there at the end with Sammy and Jamie in the last couple of overs. He (Sam) has been exceptional throughout the tournament, and we've managed to scrape through, but there have been good performances, especially from him and Will Jacks, who stepped up in challenging situations. That's really encouraging,” he added.

Brook also elaborated on his strategy of utilizing Jofra Archer aggressively during the powerplay to gain early momentum. Looking ahead to the next stage of the tournament, he stressed the need for quick adaptation and enhancing England’s batting approach.

“When you want something, you aim to extract as much as possible and make a significant impact on the opposition. We've played here before. We know the conditions well, so we just need to revert to our previous tactics, which is adapting,” stated the English skipper.

He reiterated the importance of a more fearless batting style, expressing hope that England would hit their stride at the right moment, concluding, “As I mentioned earlier, we must be brave with the bat. You only have 20 overs to bat, and you need to maximize your runs. That has been our slight downfall in this group stage; we haven't been bold enough and taken our options as much as we could have. I hope we peak at the right time.”