MUMBAI – England have been denying their poor start to this World Cup all week, but it’s time someone from their camp stepped in because they have a problem – in particular, their oldest team is no longer the force in this tournament that it once was. -it was. .
The opponent can play well. It’s impossible to win every game at the World Cup. There’s no time to panic. These are just some of the platitudes and excuses England have made during their miserable three weeks in India.
But after the defending champions were sacked in spectacular fashion by South Africa in Mumbai to take a record lead, the time for excuses is over. The real responsibility now has to fall on coach Matthew Mott, captain Jos Buttler and a group of players who are shadows of the team that has dominated white-ball cricket for the last eight years.
In the wake of this grim, painful and downright shameful capitulation, comprehensive changes must be made.
Rip it up and start again when this nightmare campaign is over – and when it comes to qualifying for the finals, it’s all but over now – because this mess is even worse than the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the nadir that led to a complete change in mentality and personnel and led to the white ball revolution in England under former captain Eoin Morgan.
Match in 30 seconds
England’s World Cup hopes were dashed by a 229-run defeat to mighty South Africa in Mumbai.
Jos Buttler’s defending champions, who were expected to win for 400, were bowled out for 170, one of their worst scores in the format.
After losing their entire top six in the first 12 overs and none of their top eight making 20, England were finally put out of their misery in the 22nd over – and only because Mark Wood and Gus Atkinson scored 69 off 31 balls for the ninth wicket.
This is how England bullied their opponents. But they can no longer be considered among the best in the world. The previous two defeats to New Zealand and Afghanistan were poor. But this was even worse: incompetence at the highest level.
Buttler’s men got off to a great start when Reece Topley dismissed Quinton De Kock with the second ball of the game. However, things quickly went downhill after this as South Africa set a record against England. It was built on Heinrich Klaasen’s 61-ball century and half-centuries from Risa Hendricks, Rassie van der Dussen and Marco Jansen.
In total, England were bowled out by 143 runs in the last 10 overs. To make matters worse, Topley suffered a finger injury, Adil Rashid was forced off the field due to a long illness, and David Willey also left the field with cramps.
You don’t become a bad team overnight (another popular cliché from last week), but the truth is that the process took four years.
The three changes England made to this must-win game allowed them to use every member of their squad for four games. Every combination failed as this tired, defeated group faced the ruins of a campaign in which they had now lost three of their first four games.
New Zealand performed poorly on opening night. Last weekend, Afghanistan took a new step. But this performance topped all – England were crushed by the weight of the South African runs after conceding their highest goal in 52 years of ODI cricket – a period during which they played 789 matches. It was also their heaviest ODI defeat in terms of runs – the margin here was a shocking 229.
They haven’t technically been eliminated from this tournament yet; The six wins they need to reach the semi-finals is theoretically possible if they win all their remaining group games.
But judging by what we saw at the tournament, it will be difficult for this team to break the egg at the moment. From a purely mathematical point of view, England could be put out of their misery as early as next Sunday when they take on hosts India in Lucknow. But after that there are still three games left to play, meaning this could be a long, slow death for a team that is a shadow of the one that memorably won this tournament on home soil four years ago.
Given the nature of this destruction, forcing England to play these last five games seems almost cruel.
Their net run rate, which determines whether teams are tied on points in the table, has come under criticism due to the large margin of defeat.
At times like these, it is tempting to ask what went wrong, but a more pressing question would be to ask what went right. Soon after, Buttler won the toss and decided to bowl first. Reece Topley dismissed Quinton De Kock’s second ball but the bowling performance then ended in style. Illness that kept Adil Rashid off the field and Topley’s finger injury that kept his World Cup still to come didn’t help matters.
Topley bravely returned to bowling in the 35th over after being hit on his left index finger while bowling in the seventh over. He took two wickets back in his first two overs and reduced South Africa to 243 for five in the 37th over.
The only problem was Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen, who put on 151 runs for the sixth wicket in 66 minutes of chaos.
Klaasen was simply wonderful. But England’s bowling was abysmal, conceding 143 runs in the last 10 overs.
To the list of bowlers who simply aren’t available right now, add Mark Wood, who conceded 76 runs from seven overs – joining the retired Chris Woakes and Sam Curran.
But the result was even worse as the two-time world champion limped to 68 for six in the 12th over, leaving all his top six players in the dressing room. Even Ben Stokes, who missed the first three games with a thigh injury, could not save his team from this dire situation.
Buttler’s call to go first in energy-intensive heat and humidity proved disastrous. England looked good ahead of the 40-run mark in the South African innings.
This defensive decision emphasized his passive role as captain. For a person who preaches aggression, this is unforgivable. After this tournament, his term will surely come to an end.
England has seriously lost its way. It’s not the end of their World Cup, but it certainly feels like the end of an era.
Jos Buttler: ‘England clearly lost’
Buttler subsequently admitted that England had “no margin for error” and admitted his side were clearly in second place that day.
“Incredibly disappointing, we came here with high hopes of playing our best cricket but we fell short and suffered a crushing defeat,” he said.
“The conditions here are incredibly difficult, everyone did a great job. We probably should have dealt with the heat first.
“This leaves us no room for error. From now on we’ll probably have to win every other game and that’s the situation we’re in.”
Archer flies home
England coach Matthew Mott has confirmed that Jofra Archer will not take part in the World Cup.
The fast bowler arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday to continue his rehabilitation from a serious elbow injury with the England coaching staff and was initially touted by chief selector Luke Wright as a traveling reserve player who could play in the later stages of the tournament.
But after just five days in India, Archer is already flying back to England and Mott confirms: “Jofra Archer is not fit for selection. He has reported this to medical staff and will not be able to play any role in this campaign.”
Game of the day
Marco Jansen’s Big Six vs. Reece Topley in a 49er matche He also improved on his score of 150 runs with Heinrich Klaasen in 66 minutes off just 76 balls. Topley scored 26 runs in the over.
Player of the day: Heinrich Klaasen
South Africa’s runaway run rate appeared to be under control as they were reduced to 243 for five in the 37th over.e ended, but Klaasen broke the shackles with a masterful 61-ball hundred and destroyed England’s attack.
Statistics of the day
South Africa’s score of 399 for seven was the highest ever conceded by England in a one-day international match.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.