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'England must remind India how great they are': Nasser Hussain sends wake-up call for Jos Buttler's men
Nasser Hussain sent a strong message to England after their fourth defeat in five matches in the 2023 World Cup.
England, once again faced a disastrous loss in the 2023 World Cup on Thursday, facing a massive 8-wicket loss to Sri Lanka. The loss cast doubt on England's chances of progressing in the tournament; England, having opted to bat first, struggled to put runs on the board, managing only 156. Sri Lanka chased down the target in just 25.4 overs. This total marked England's lowest in a World Cup since 2003 and also stands as the lowest score ever recorded in an ODI at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
With four defeats in five matches, England find themselves languishing at the 9th spot in the World Cup standings. Their next match is against the high-flying India on Sunday, and it's a challenging encounter given India's unbeaten run in the tournament, marking a sharp contrast to England's struggles. The match is set to take place at Lucknow, where spinners are expected to play a pivotal role.
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Although qualifying for the semi-finals seems pretty unlikely for England now, they have an opportunity to salvage their pride, which is precisely what Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, wants. Hussain firmly believes that England need to demonstrate to India and the world that they are still one of the best cricket teams globally.
"The players must take the responsibility for this. I'm not a great one for cliches like playing for the badge but that's what England have got to do now. They have to go to Lucknow on Sunday and spoil India's party. They must remind India and the world just how great cricketers they have been - and still are," Nasser Hussain wrote in his column for The Daily Mail.
It is a far cry from 2019 when Eoin Morgan's England won the World Cup in an unforgettable final against New Zealand and the post-mortem has begun in earnest back home. Hussain, in another chat with Sky Sports, stated that it was an end of an era for the English team.
"We are talking about some of the greatest players in our white-ball history but this has just turned out to be a bridge too far for some of them," Hussain told Sky Sports.
"I wouldn't have changed the side before this tournament but I would definitely be thinking about changing it now because it does feel like the end of an era.
"That doesn't take anything away from what this England side have achieved. We can be all doom and gloom and say 'get rid of the lot of them' but they have given us six or seven years of absolutely brilliant white-ball cricket."
