England must have never thought a defeat like this would come their way at a moment like this. Afghanistan played well against England in Delhi, and they were the side that deserved to win.
There’s nothing to take away from that, but England has really made things difficult for themselves. It’s a crucial World Cup for the defending champions, and now they are in a situation where every game for them will be a knockout game.
Jos Buttler deep down knows his team is in disarray. They cannot afford to lose, but the bigger problem is they don’t know how to play in these conditions. They’re not reading the conditions, not understanding the demands of the situation, and individuals are not passionate enough to deliver.
It’s not easy to say, “there’s nothing to think too deeply about this.” Against Afghanistan, the English team played catch-up the entire day. They were fragile from the beginning.
You cannot start your innings with 5 wides and then bowl a couple of no balls, regardless of the team you’re up against. It’s the World Cup, and every team wants a small window of opportunity to have some control over the game. It’s so necessary to play well all 50 overs in a big game.
Frankly, it's not an upset. Afghanistan is a proper balanced side with match winning spinners. On a slow track, they will always have 50-50 chances against any team in the world.#ENGvAFG #ENGvsAFG #CWC23
— Sportsermon (@SportSermon) October 15, 2023
Look at how Afghanistan performed in the first 10 overs. Afghanistan’s openers wanted to run away with the game because they felt the English bowlers were off the mark, so they put them under pressure, and it worked in their favor.
England looked lethargic; their expressions suggested that the chase was going to be an easy ride for them. Credit to Afghanistan’s bowlers because they gave no breathing space to the English openers.
But as the English team claims to play attacking cricket in a dominating fashion, it wasn’t evident in the first 10 overs. If there aren’t many bad balls, you can create some because that’s why you’re the bigger team, that’s why you’re world champions.
Put the bowlers under pressure because if they are allowed to operate the way they feel comfortable in the powerplay, then it’s almost the game for them, especially when the pitch is slowing down. In those conditions, the importance of the first 10 overs cannot be overstated. England must rectify this aspect.
The absence of Moeen Ali was felt but not noticed. Sam Curran might have won the Man of the Match in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan, but in the 50-overs game, he has struggled more than he has felt comfortable.
Moeen Ali is second in experience after Jos Buttler when it came to playing in Indian conditions. He was dropped for Sam Curran.
In a nutshell, England has kicked out itself from Cricket World Cup 2023.#ENGvAFG #ENGvsAFG #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/nZ4xFjjs7m
— Sportsermon (@SportSermon) October 15, 2023
He was getting hammered against South Africa earlier this year. Moeen Ali is the second-most experienced player after Jos Buttler when it comes to playing in Indian conditions, yet he was left out for Curran, who disappointed the team with both bat and ball.
It won’t be an easy loss to digest for England. On the surface, they appear calm, but inside, they acknowledge that this shouldn’t have happened at any cost.
