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World Cup 2023: Lack of form rather than familiarity to blame for England's run
In the 15-member England squad that touched down a month ago, 14 had played in the IPL
There may be many reasons for the debacle that England’s World Cup campaign is turning out to be. Most of their batters seem to be woefully out of touch at the same time. A raft of changes – three each in their previous two matches against Sri Lanka and South Africa – implies they are still figuring out their best combination five games into the tournament. Their bowling is devoid of cutting edge.
What they can’t blame for a stuttering campaign though is lack of familiarity with India’s pitches and surroundings. The alibi of alien conditions has been conveniently used by English teams of the past to explain their inadequacies in the subcontinent. From the nature of surfaces to the oppressive heat and unsuitable food, the Poms usually have plenty to whinge about.
If that hasn’t been the case this time around, it’s because these players – guided by greater participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and a higher frequency of India tours -- are as informed about these conditions as a visiting team could be. In the 15-member squad that touched down a month ago, 14 had IPL experience. They ranged from experienced pros like Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow to newer faces such as Harry Brook and Reece Topley. If they’ve still registered only one win in five games – against Bangladesh in Dharamsala – it's largely down to these players not delivering on the day rather than any struggle with adaptability.
“I think we've gained massive amounts of more experience in India because of the guys playing the volume of cricket they have done,” England’s assistant coach Marcus Trescothick acknowledged on Saturday. “I think you're always learning; you're always playing in different situations. It's just about getting the performance right on the day and that's what we've not done. We've not been good enough on the performance of the day and not been consistent enough with that.”
That their shortcomings haven’t even been on surfaces traditionally inimical to them should rile the players. The game versus Sri Lanka was at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, exactly the sort of venue where England’s batters would have been eyeing a total above 400 if not for their current rut. A small ground, a fast outfield and a belter of a pitch provided the perfect ingredients for England’s batters to bombard the boundary, but they were inexplicably shot out for 156. That Sri Lanka won with 146 balls remaining showed there was no defect in the pitch.
“A lot are experienced guys who are fantastic cricketers. So absolutely, it's a huge frustration. This tournament's gone nowhere near the way we wanted to. It's been a huge disappointment,” Buttler said after England’s defeat.
Their loss to South Africa in Mumbai also came on a featherbed. In response to South Africa’s 399/7 in front of a near full house, England were skittled for 170 in 22 overs.
Despite these inept batting displays on placid pitches, England haven’t considered promoting Buttler to open the batting. He’s the most experienced of the England players in India, with 96 IPL games yielding 3223 runs at a strike rate of 148.32. More than 80% of these runs have come as an opener. Asked whether they have mulled that option, Trescothick said: “Not to my knowledge. No, I can't believe that's going to happen.”
Sure, Buttler has never opened in ODIs, but a push up the order may just help in capitalising on the fielding restrictions in the first ten overs and getting off to a rapid start. By his own admission, he hasn’t justified his star status, returning 95 runs in five matches at an average of 19. But this is the kind of situation that may unshackle Buttler -- an opportunity to leave his impression against the strongest team of the tournament.
If England don’t take this route, it would go against the traits that have come to define this team in recent years. And it would perhaps underline why England find themselves in their current predicament.
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