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Business News/ News / Business Of Life/  England: The team that forgot how to play ODIs
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England: The team that forgot how to play ODIs

After giving the world limited-overs cricket, England appear to have forgotten how to play it themselves

Bangladesh knocked out England (in blue) from the Cup on 9 March. Photographs by Saeed Khan/AFP (Bangladesh knocked out England (in blue) from the Cup on 9 March. Photographs by Saeed Khan/AFP)Premium
Bangladesh knocked out England (in blue) from the Cup on 9 March. Photographs by Saeed Khan/AFP (Bangladesh knocked out England (in blue) from the Cup on 9 March. Photographs by Saeed Khan/AFP)

OTHERS : England’s failure to reach the quarter-final contrasts sharply with the rise of the Indian team in the World Cup. Where M.S. Dhoni’s side hasn’t put a foot wrong so far, the English looked like complete misfits in the tournament.

There is an interesting point of intersection in the performances of the two teams this season. In the tri-series prior to the World Cup, India were clearly stragglers, lacking in rhythm, unable to win anything. England, on the other hand, looked a very competitive side.

While bookmakers still rated India higher for the World Cup, England were not far behind. In fact, most experts reckoned that a better bowling attack gave the England team an edge in conditions that favoured pace bowlers.

Once the tournament began, however, the script has played out very differently. India have won five matches on the trot, bowling out the opposition each time. England, on the other hand, won just one match, against lowly Scotland, before being sent out of the tournament by Bangladesh.

What explains this transformation in the fortunes of the two teams? How come India, who looked in shambles before the tournament, regrouped so brilliantly, while England have gone to pieces?

Several explanations have been floated. Poor team selection for the tour—and of the playing Xl during the tournament—has obviously been a big factor in England’s turmoil.

England captain Eoin Morgan
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England captain Eoin Morgan

Darren Lehmann of Australia approaches coaching in the old-world style, which is pretty much what India’s team director Ravi Shastri has also been doing: building up morale and confidence through pep talks and experiential advice between intense net sessions.

This does not mean that technology or data is useless; rather, it sets the limits to which it can be of use vis-à-vis the mood, morale and confidence of players and teams. Matches can’t be won by what’s in a laptop or pen drive, but what’s going on through the minds of the players, how good they feel about themselves.

But the biggest factor in England’s dismal performance, according to me, is the lack of interest and rigour for limited-overs cricket in the English cricket system. There is a discernible disdain for the shorter formats compared to Test cricket, which is passed on to successive generations.

The technical, tactical and temperamental requirements of limited-overs cricket were lacking in the England team in this tournament; this was evident most starkly in the do-or-die match against Bangladesh, where they made a hash of a fairly simple run chase.

Looked at historically, England’s performances in the world cup show a gradual decline. Between 1975 and 1992—in five world cups—they were in three finals, and never eliminated before the semis. Since then, surviving till the knockout stage has been a challenge, and this tournament has turned out to be an unmitigated disaster.

The fact that Test cricket is still considered sacrosanct in England is admirable. But if limited-overs cricket is so integral to the sport, you give it stepmotherly treatment at your own peril.

The irony is inescapable: After giving the world limited-overs cricket, England appear to have forgotten how to play it themselves.

Ayaz Memon is a senior columnist who writes on sports and other matters.

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Published: 11 Mar 2015, 09:22 PM IST
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