Jonny Bairstow was out for 15 against the Netherlands
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England have already crashed out of the Cricket World Cup, which was sealed by the 33-run defeat to Australia, but will want to restore pride against the Netherlands.
For England, the defence of their title could not have gone any worse, but there is still something to play for, with only the top eight in the standings qualifying for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
Even that will not be straightforward, such has been England’s form that they sit rooted to the foot of the table, with the fewest points and a lower net-run rate than any other team.
There will be plenty of time after the tournament for a full analysis of how England’s title defence could go so disastrously wrong with very few warning signs before the squad departed for India, but for now there is a small chance to at least move off the bottom of the table, and two matches left against the Netherlands and Pakistan.
Follow all the live action in the blog below and get the latest tips and odds here.
England 70-1 (10) Malan 51, Root 1
This is the best start to an innings for some time in this World Cup, although their problem both in the tournament and leading up to it was the loss of wickets.
Joe Root scored runs in the first two matches, against New Zealand and Bangladesh and will want to add to his World Cup tally here.
At the end of the powerplay, England have 70 runs on the board, and it looks like a good pitch in Pune.
England 63-1, Malan 45, Root 0
Malan has looked on form here, and he remains the only England player to have scored a century in the tournament so far, although the game against Bangladesh feels like a very long time ago.
This is a chance for England’s batting to show that they can still, in fact, bat – something they have not been able to showcase this tournament.
Wicket! Bairstow out for 15 – England 48-1
Having said all that about a good platform, Jonny Bairstow is out!
He tried to go for a heave into the leg side and top-edged the ball and was caught. He has not found the form of 2019 where he set the world alight at the top of the innings.
The Yorkshire batter might be disappointed with that, there was a good opportunity for him to go and score runs today.
England 47-0 (6) Bairstow 15, Malan 30
England have been exceptional in this powerplay, and Malan in particular has picked off anything short or wide and looks comfortable.
If they can perform well, there will be calls over why they could not do this earlier, but there is still a 2025 Champions Trophy place at stake, and missing out would be embarrassing for the side that can just about still call itself defending champions.
England 29-0 (3) Bairstow 7, Malan 20
This is just the start England would have wanted and what they haven’t had all tournament.
Maybe something about being officially out and having hit rock bottom has sparked something. It’s still early in the game but the openers are imposing themselves on the Netherlands and also defending at times.
England 6-0 (1) Bairstow 6, Malan 0
A solid start for England, at least there were no wickets lost unlike the first ball against Australia.
Bairstow got off the mark with a flick for four, and England are up and running against the Netherlands, who chose to open with spin.
England vs Netherlands
The anthems are done and it’s time for cricket.
England vs Netherlands
Vice-captain Moeen Ali has urged England to rebuild their ageing team after the World Cup, claiming “the writing was on the wall and we just didn’t see it”.
Moeen was part of a golden generation who became world champions on home soil in 2019 and are likely to go down as the country’s best ever white-ball side, but their story is ending in disarray.
After arriving in India with genuine hopes of defending their crown, they have crashed out of the competition in humiliating fashion with six defeats from their seven matches so far.
Writing was on the wall – Moeen Ali accepts time is up on golden generation
England’s World Cup defence is over with two group games remaining after six defeats from seven.
England vs Netherlands
Ben Stokes has not been rested or dropped or sent home, but Steve Harmison believes he should have been:
Steve Harmison has called on England to send Ben Stokes home from the World Cup or risk losing their Test captain for the start of their forthcoming series in India.
Stokes has revealed he will undergo surgery on his longstanding left knee injury once England’s tournament is over but, with the defending champions no longer able to reach the semi-finals, they could decide to cut their losses and bring things forward.
The first Test of a major five-match series starts in Hyderabad on January 25, with a training camp in Dubai beginning two weeks earlier, meaning Stokes is already on a tight recovery schedule for a major operation.
England must show strong leadership and send Ben Stokes home – Steve Harmison
Stokes revealed he will undergo surgery on a longstanding left knee injury issue once the World Cup is over.
England win the toss and choose to bat first
Jos Buttler has won the toss and chosen to bat first, a change from the trend of the side who have tended to favour chasing throughout the last few years.
The England captain said: “The work ethic is still there, the boys were working as hard as ever yesterday to put things right.
“There’s always belief, you don’t get to the standard you’ve got to without that belief. We look forward to today as another opportunity to put things right.”
Mark Wood and Liam Livingstone will be rested, with Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson coming into the side.
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