2019 saw England and Wales co-host the Cricket World Cup, with England running out eventual tournament winners following a tight victory over New Zealand.
Fast forward four years and hopes were high that England would be able to defend their crown in India. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone to plan for the reigning One Day International and T20 world champs.
Many of the top online betting sites on a list for November 2023 placed England as 11/4 second favourites for the title, with the hosts India in first place. However, results have yet to go England’s way and many are asking why the team has failed to perform.
Defeats to South Africa (by a record-breaking run margin), Afghanistan (a first in England’s history), and a humbling defeat to Sri Lanka have all but consigned England to elimination.
While it is still mathematically possible for England to progress, the team’s form will have to improve significantly for them to win their final four fixtures.
The next test comes up against current tournament favourites India, but if you believe in miracles you can find odds of around 150/1 for England to turn things around and win the tournament.
While England captain Jos Buttler has been quoted as saying “I have no clear answer” as to why England has performed so poorly, there are some theories doing the rounds.
The clear and obvious reason for England’s results so far in the 2023 Cricket World Cup is a loss of form. Sometimes in sports, athletes don’t perform to their capabilities. Unfortunately for England, many of their players have hit this slump at the same time.
In the four of the five matches England have played, they have only had two fifties against Afghanistan and New Zealand. In the five matches played, only Dawid Malan has had a century against Bangladesh.
The team selection has also come in for some criticism, but this is in hindsight following England’s poor form. Ben Stokes’ reversal on his decision to retire was seen as great news but an early injury ruled him out of the opening three games.
There was also a bit of back and forth in the selection of Harry Brook, an undoubtedly promising talent. He was initially omitted from the squad before the decision was reversed with the experienced World Cup winner Jason Roy making way.
Mark Wood and Joe Root’s lack of recent playing time could also be looked at as the squad seemed to go more with tried and tested experience over fresh, in-form players.
Despite dropping Roy, much of the team is made up of that 2019 World Cup-winning squad. Experience is always important for a team, but it seems that this ageing team isn’t able to go out in a blaze of glory.
A lack of preparation is another reason that England isn’t hitting the same heights as they did when they won the World Cup in 2019. As the host nation, the team enjoyed a lot of focus, but the run-up to this year’s Cricket World Cup has not been the same. It had been six months since England’s last ODI games before their warm-up against New Zealand.
A lack of consistency and regular lineup changes have made it difficult for players to adapt during the tournament. A good understanding between team members is essential to compete at an international level, and these changes have made it difficult for players to build relationships on the field.
Other poor decisions like bowling first against South Africa and weakening the batting lineup by dispensing with their all-rounders have also backfired tremendously.
