Defending champions of the ICC ODI World Cup, England had a tumultuous campaign in 2023. Jos Buttler and co. had a forgettable campaign and despite having so many superstars in their team, they failed to live up to their expectations.
England began their campaign with a crushing 9-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand. And it was a downward slope for the Three Lions right throughout the course of the tournament.
Last year during November, Jos Buttler and co. had lifted the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 and held both the ODI and T20 World Cup titles at the same time. But this time around, their sorrow and glum faces were a common sight.
England’s middle-order crumbling under pressure
The Three Lions’ famed middle-order was a pale shadow of their previous best. Jos Buttler and co. failed to soak up the pressure and kept losing wickets during crunch moments. The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Harry Brook had forgettable campaigns.
Brook’s selection over Jason Roy raised several questions and the critics have already torn England for this decision. Brook mustered 169 runs in 6 games with a paltry average of 28.17.
Over-dependence on Dawid Malan
One of the most solid and reliable batters of England, Dawid Malan was once the stand-out performer of England. The southpaw top-scorer for the Three Lions and amassed 404 runs in 9 games.
Dawid Malan was the sole performer of England and the team’s overdependence on him caused a lot of misery.
Reece Topley’s injury caused a lot of woes for England
After Reece Topley had started the tournament well, England had a lot of hope and resolve in them. But after he was ruled out due to a finger injury, England’s pacers had a lot of problems to face.
David Willey, who was England’s highest wicket-taker among pacers, managed to take 11 wickets in the tournament and had an average of 23.55.
Topley had bagged 8 wickets in 3 games and was looking extremely good. But his absence caused a lot of problems for England.
Overall, the 2019 World Cup champions were outclassed in this tournament and couldn’t play their best version. They will have to go back to the drawing board and will have to make several fundamental changes.
Also read: 3 Things That Led To India’s Heartbreaking Loss In ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Finals
