England’s performance in the ongoing Cricket World Cup 2023 has been disappointing, as they suffered 4 defeats in 5 matches. This serves as a reminder that even the strongest teams can face challenges and setbacks if not prepared according to the conditions. The current World champions are facing difficulties in order to adapt to the India conditions. Hussain, the former captain, and Collingwood debate if this is England’s “worst World Cup” after Sri Lanka forced England to the verge of elimination.

The World Cup 2023 is all but over for England. In the league-stage match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, England suffered another horrendous batting performance against Sri Lanka, which has ironically been their strength throughout. In an attempt to bounce back from their 229-run drubbing against South Africa, England batted on a pitch with a spongy bounce and folded for just 156, which South Africa chased down in 25.4 overs.

 

 

The former captains of the reigning champions, Paul Collingwood and Nasser Hussain, had an insightful discussion on Star Sports over whether this was their “worst ever World Cup campaign” following their team’s fourth loss of the season, which includes a shocking loss to Afghanistan last week.

England has lost four matches in a World Cup group stage two times now. The other occurred in 2015 after they were taken aback by Bangladesh and were forced to reflect, which in turn led to a white-ball revolution. Rebounding from such humiliation, England won the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia and the 2019 ODI World Cup at home. Most people thought England could successfully defend their championship in India this year because of their two outstanding campaigns, but Jos Buttler’s team has put on a “disappointing” display that has analysts and veterans surprised by their near elimination.

 

Hussain remembers the good old days

 

 

However, Nasser doesn’t think it was England’s “worst ever World Cup show,” despite what the statistics might indicate. He chose to reflect on England’s dominance in white-ball cricket over the previous six to seven years and acknowledged that a new chapter in the history of the game in the country is likely overdue.

“I’ve been playing for England in World Cups and watched England play in them. Paul Collingwood, a panellist for Star Sports, has also been involved. A very long time ago, we were awful. The past six to seven years have been wonderful because of how amazing they have been. Although they have been excellent, Buttler, Morgan, and his guys have fallen apart in this situation. However, it shouldn’t detract from their performance over the previous six to seven years. The bridge has been crossed too far. A new era is about to usher in,” he declared.

The former England batsman believed that the team’s failure to prepare properly for the 50-over format was the main factor in their demise, but he also acknowledged that the team’s lack of effort against New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka hurt him more.

It has been quite disheartening. It might be the preparation if I can feel it with my fingers. The only series in which they had the opportunity to assemble a 50-over squad was the Ashes, followed by three matches against New Zealand. Not just the loss, but also the manner in which it came about—they were thoroughly defeated by Afghanistan, South Africa, and New Zealand, and had scarcely even turned on the lights in Bengaluru before Sri Lanka crossed the border. They are not allowed to complain in any way,” he stated.

 

Collingwood still optimistic

 

 

Collingwood dismissed the notion of the “worst World Cup campaign” and instead urged Buttler’s team to get back up and brace up for an incredible win over India on Sunday in Lucknow.

“This isn’t the worst World Cup campaign ever; we’ve had some shocking ones.” How will they re-energize their players? All you have to do is go man to man, glance in the mirror, and never forget how excellent a player you are and how you rose to the top of the white-ball world rankings. You have won two World Cup titles. Reminding yourself of your potential as a player by watching past footage will help you go out and give yourself the greatest chance possible in terms of confidence, which is exactly what they need on Sunday when they play India. There’s a good chance they may turn things around exactly like that, and that will be the most sought-after game of your life, he said.

 

Sehwag was quick to remind the World Champions about their actual stats

 

 

But former India batsman Virender Sehwag did not pull punches as he gave England a harsh reminder of their previous World Cup performances, pointing out that they had missed the semifinals in seven of the previous eight competitions apart from the 2019 edition.

“It is fair to say that England has been somewhat average in 50-over one-day international cricket”. They have failed to reach the semifinals seven times in the last eight attempts, with the exception of the 2019 World Cup at home. They lost out because they were unsteady on one side, chopped and changed too much, and mistakenly believed that ODIs and tests were equally entertaining.

On Sunday, England will take on India in their sixth league match. Their elimination from the World Cup would be official with a loss.