LAWRENCE BOOTH: With semi-final qualification near-impossible, England should be brave and blood future talents against champions-elect India
- Only a fantastical twist of fate can see England progressing from group stage
- England should instead focus on getting World Cup experience in young talents
- Even during the dark days of 2015 England did not lose four matches in a row
England take on world champions-elect India on Sunday faced with a decision that may reveal just how frazzled they are. Try to save face in a World Cup that has already passed them by, or use the game as the starting point for the 2027 tournament in southern Africa?
With qualification for the semi-finals now dependent on a fantastical sequence of results, the braver call would be to look beyond the debacle of the last few weeks, and blood the 20-somethings who are likely to be around in four years’ time. The two scenarios need not even be mutally exclusive.
Against Sri Lanka in Bangalore, where England suffered arguably the worst of their four defeats in this tournament, their entire XI was the wrong side of 30 – a first for an ODI team.
Now, they must refresh the side with the members of their 15 who have the hunger to perform – and a loss of hunger among the squad’s double world champions remains as plausible an explanation as any for England’s disappearance over the cliff.
That ought to mean a recall for Harry Brook, who was unfortunate to be dropped against Sri Lanka after showing pluck against Afghanistan’s spinners. Equally, Surrey quick Gus Atkinson deserves another go, having escaped relatively unscathed from the mauling by South Africa.
Harry Brook was unfortunate to be dropped against Sri Lanka and should come back into side
Gus Atkinson (centre) is another newcomer who escaped relatively unscathed during contest
Brydon Carse was called up to replace Reece Topley and should get the chance against India
Then there’s Brydon Carse, the Durham fast bowler who has replaced the injured Reece Topley, and has designs on becoming the middle-overs seamer England have so badly lacked since ditching Liam Plunkett after the 2019 World Cup.
All three are in their twenties, and all will benefit from playing in front of a crowd that could reach 50,000 – no matter the result.
One thing is for sure: we are yet to hear a coherent diagnosis of England’s plight from inside the camp, with assistant coach Marcus Trescothick the latest to express bewilderment.
Asked if the players were confused by their struggles, he replied: ‘I think they’re trying to understand it, yeah. Whether confusion is the right word, I’m not sure. But it’s not gone – it’s just hiding in a funny place at the moment.
Marcus Trescothick is among the England coaches to be as confused as the side’s followers
‘We’re all feeling the heat, but what can you do? We’ve prepared the same. Every practice we go through, we’re coming out the other side thinking we’re in a good place. It’s just not quite worked when we go into the games.’
India, the tournament’s only unbeaten side, are unlikely to give them much breathing space, although the home fans are keen to see their heroes bat first after five successful chases.
Even during the dark days of the 2015 World Cup, a tournament which persuaded Eoin Morgan to reset England’s entire white-ball strategy, they never lost four in a row.
That is the fate that threatens them on Sunday. In a city famous for its kebabs, England could be in for a skewering. But if they pick a forward-looking team, it need not be in vain.
The team England should pick
1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Dawid Malan, 3 Joe Root, 4 Ben Stokes, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Jos Buttler (capt, wkt), 7 Liam Livingstone, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood
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