Not so long ago England were the best and most feared team in white-ball cricket. After another failure at an ICC event – this time an early Champions Trophy exit – they are at risk of becoming a laughing stock.
The 2019 and 2022 World Cup wins felt a lifetime ago as England slumped to an agonising defeat to minnows Afghanistan and crashed out of the Champions Trophy at the group stage.
This was a tournament they only sneaked into in the first place after finishing seventh at the last World Cup, again missing out on a place in the knockout stages – surely the minimum requirement for a team with such resources.
That failure cost Matthew Mott his job as head coach but his replacement, Brendon McCullum, faces similar scrutiny after a dismal start to his reign.
McCullum has now lost nine of his first ten games in charge of the white-ball side, England thumped 7-1 by India across both formats before losing their opening two games at the Champions Trophy.
It was in India that England’s issues really became apparent as an unvaried bowling attack and overeager batting line-up disappointed under a captain who looks increasingly short of ideas and energy.
PACE ATTACK FAILS TO DELIVER
With Australia recovering from 27-2 to chase 351 and Afghanistan posting 325 after being 37-3, it’s clear something was amiss with England’s bowlers.
Nasser Hussain was among those to criticise a ‘samey’ attack with right-arm quick Jofra Archer and right-arm quick Mark Wood supported by one of right-arm quick Jamie Overton and, you guessed it, right-arm quick Brydon Carse. They went for 226 in 26 overs against Australia and at a similar lick against Afghanistan.
The balance of the attack was never going to be perfect without the presence of all-rounder Ben Stokes but not picking a left-armer – Sam Curran and Reece Topley both come to mind – or someone with different attributes like Saqib Mahmood or Liam Dawson (if you wanted another spinner) proved to be a mistake.
Over-reliant on the ever-brilliant Adil Rashid, England lost control and lacked potency during the middle overs and were missing a bowler like Liam Plunkett, one of the key figures during their 2019 World Cup win.
Despite three early wickets against Afghanistan, there is also a slight but growing concern over Jofra Archer, who Michael Atherton has said appears to have, perhaps understandably, regressed since his severe injury issues.
Michael Vaughan on England's attack
‘There’s no left-arm seam bowlers, no left-arm spin… we just seem to be all out in terms of pace.
‘I don’t know who that person is who’s made the decision that it’s all about pace in white-ball cricket.
‘If you ask most batters around the world, of course you don’t want to face 90mph, but if there’s a place where you’d love to face 90mph, it’s in the sub-continent.
‘England have hit both India and [teams] in the Champions Trophy with a huge amount of pace and batters have been deflecting the ball to all parts.’
(Speaking to BBC Sport)
MISFIRING BATTERS PAY THE PRICE
England’s batters will point to two 300+ scores as a defence but they too shoulder some of the blame for a premature Champions Trophy exit.
Jos Buttler stressed the importance of finding the right batting tempo before the tournament began but only Ben Duckett – who smashed 165 against Australia, and Joe Root, who scored his first century in this format since 2019 – managed it.
Treating games like an extended T20, Phil Salt has reached double digits in every innings of McCullum’s tenure but only once passed 50.
The same criticism can be levelled at Liam Livingstone, who has arguably been selected more for his bowling than batting. Getting Jamie Smith to bat at first drop when he has played so little 50-over cricket and would take the gloves felt and proved to be too big of an ask.
Harry Brook, the most talented English batter since Joe Root, averages less than 17 in 2025. There are even concerns over the form of Jos Buttler, England’s greatest in white-ball cricket, who has just two ODI hundreds to his name in 42 innings since the 2019 World Cup was won by the barest of margins.
Mark Butcher recently emphasised how this format requires a refined approach from batters, many of whom spend much of their time and earn most of their money in T20 franchise tournaments around the world.
But it has proved to be a difficult task for players who play virtually no 50-over cricket outside ICC events. England’s 50-over comp, the One-Day Cup, has effectively been relegated to a minor competition since the arrival of The Hundred.
LEADERSHIP CRISIS
Buttler admitted his captaincy was on the line before England’s must-win clash with Afghanistan so a resignation would not come as a surprise.
Michael Atherton on Jos Buttler
‘I think his time is done, actually, as captain and I think that’s probably right.
‘England do judge themselves on these ICC events, they’ve made that very clear, that because they come along so frequently now, they build towards these tournaments.
‘But England have had three bad ones in a row now, the disastrous 50-over World Cup in India, a poor T20 World Cup in the Caribbean – where they made the semis but they didn’t beat anybody of note though it – and now here, and their cricket is way below the standards which they set themselves.
‘Sometimes you just have to say it’s not working and therefore it’s time for a change and time for somebody else, and I think deep down, he probably knows that.’
(Speaking to Sky Sports)
A team who were once world-beaters, world champions in two formats, are now in danger of falling to eighth in the rankings. Nine defeats in ten does not reflect well on McCullum but the issues began before he took over, with England losing 11 of their last 14 games against full member nations at ICC events.
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Buttler, who has been in charge throughout that period, now looks shot of confidence so passing on the baton would be the sensible decision despite the lack of viable replacements, with Brook perhaps the most likely to take over following his brief stint in charge of the side last summer.
Even if Buttler goes, the perpetually laid-back McCullum must also start to prove his worth to the white-ball set-up ahead of a T20 World Cup in 12 months’ time and a 50-over competition a year later.
The Test side have done some incredible things under McCullum but Rob Key’s decision to give the former New Zealand captain responsibility for both teams already looks questionable.
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