England shell shocked after 229 runs defeat at Wankhede, qualification almost out of reach

England suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of South Africa. It was a day where everything went wrong for England from the very beginning. Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to field on a sweltering hot and humid day, making it extremely challenging for the English players on the field.

During the first 6 overs, England had good control over the game. However, once South Africa started to get going with the bat, by the end of the first innings, it turned into a carnage. South African batsmen launched a brutal assault on the English bowlers, who seemed helpless and had lost their passion.

Heinrich Klaasen had another exceptional day against England, displaying high-class and unstoppable batting. England’s bowlers seemed to have no answer to his performance. Everything was dispatched to the boundary by one of the most destructive batters in the modern game.

Klaasen smashed 109 runs off 67 balls, and he received valuable support from Marco Jansen, who initially played a supporting role but later contributed significantly. South Africa scored 84 runs in just 5 overs, and England’s bowling was not only weak but lacked a solid plan.

Leaving out Moeen Ali, who could have provided fast bowling all-round support, was a mistake. Furthermore, choosing to field first in the scorching heat of Mumbai was an unwise decision by the captain. Markram might consider it fortunate to have lost the toss.

Initially, when English bowlers maintained a hard length, it wasn’t easy for South Africa to score. However, after a period of 10 years, they began to bowl either too full or at chest height, which was the perfect length for hitting at Wankhede. This misjudgment by the captain and bowlers allowed South Africa to dominate the game.

England’s batting display wasn’t any different. Their body language was weak, and they struggled to respond to the monumental chase set by South Africa. As Aaron Finch rightly pointed out, you can’t win a game in the powerplay, but you can certainly lose it. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to England, with four batters back in the pavilion within 9 overs, leaving them with an insurmountable challenge.

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On this day, South Africa outperformed England in every aspect. England seemed to be plagued by bad luck, with almost everything they did resulting in disaster. Their journey in this World Cup is almost over, and they face an uphill battle to survive the pressure.

England’s number one trusted bowler, Mark Wood, had an off day, bowling too many poorly executed deliveries with uncontrolled pace. This forced Buttler to turn to Livingstone and Root in the middle overs, which wasn’t ideal for the team, especially against a strong opponent like South Africa.

The top 5 batters of England collectively scored only 40 runs, while Mark Wood alone contributed 43 runs. This summed up the day for England. Fortunately, the lower-order batsmen displayed more intent and confidence in their hitting abilities than the fragile top order.

England could have lost the match by a margin of over 300 runs, but a resilient lower order helped reduce the deficit to 229 runs. Nevertheless, this is still a significant defeat, particularly for the defending champions, England. The two teams couldn’t have had more contrasting performances, with one on the path to triumph and the other facing destruction.