England turns to Manchester City's psychologist ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

Matthew Mott, England's white-ball coach has enlisted the help of Manchester City's psychologist, David Young, to assist the players in handling pressure and becoming more emotionally open during their campaign in the Caribbean for T20 World Cup 2024.

David Young, who worked with the England team from 2016 to 2020, has played a key role in Manchester City's recent dominance, including their achievement of winning four consecutive Premier League titles. Young has been brought on as a short-term consultant for the World Cup, with Manchester City's approval. His return was significantly influenced by England captain Jos Buttler, who credits Young with aiding his performance in the 2019 World Cup final.

Young rejoined the England squad in Leeds ahead of their rain-affected first T20I against Pakistan and will reunite with the team in Cardiff on Monday after assisting Manchester City in their FA Cup final preparations against Manchester United.

"He's previously been with the team and he's already been a great ally in messages back to me, making sure my messages are clear. It's always good to have someone who's a little bit removed from the squad to make sure you're landing your messages… He's still doing other roles but we've got him for this series, and the start of the World Cup as well," Mott said.

It is worth noting that the management team is keen to avoid the mistakes of last year's 50-over World Cup, where England were eliminated in the group stage, winning only three out of nine matches, two of which came after their elimination. Mott described the tournament as "death by a thousand cuts" and emphasized the need for change.