ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: End of the road for defending champions England?

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The fact that Heinrich Klaasen is the best white-ball middle-order batsman in the world isn’t a good enough reason for England to state that the South African was on song against them.

The defending champions in white ball cricket (both ODI and T20) haven’t looked like a strong team so far in the competition. Not even Ben Strokes' presence could help England salvage some pride.

First of all, England lost to New Zealand, won over Bangladesh and only to lose their next two games against Afghanistan and South Africa. Losing to Afghanistan was the worst thing and to top it all, the team didn’t look hurt. If Jos Buttler and his men had felt any hurt, it would have reflected in the scorecard at least.

Losing to South Africa only proves to show that they would have to play out of their skin to make it to the last four. That means, England who have one win out of four matches, will need to win five of their remaining games to bolster their semifinal dream.

Otherwise, the competition will be restricted amongst teams like India, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan.

So, where did England go wrong? Was it their weak captain Butler the reason? Was it the over-confidence that sealed their misfortune already? Wasn’t it the lack of a will to win that cost them dear? England are here to play cricket like some of the other teams in the competition, but there is clearly a lack of focus within the team.

With India offering so much beyond cricket as it happens in IPL, the England players look distracted. They are happy playing golf as there is an autumn break going on. Some hardliners are saying that Jason Roy should have played the World Cup for England because of his IPL exposure.

But what are batsmen like Jonny Bairstow, David Malan, Joe Root, and Harry Brook doing? Even the bowlers are quite clueless about whether they are supposed to stop the flow of runs or go for wickets. On flat Indian decks, it is never about pace at all.

With the new ball doing its bit early on, the game is to pitch the hard length with the constant change of pace. With spinners doing well even with the dew factor, the main aim is to capture those middle-overs with both bat and ball, which England have failed miserably.

Technically, the England cricket team is still in the competition, but with the pace at which they are going, their end of the World Cup campaign won’t be far off!