Bengaluru:Defending champions England are having a horrible World Cup losing three out of the four matches they have played so far including one where they were trounced by 'minnows' Afghanistan.
The English would want to get back to winning ways to stay alive in the tournament as they square off with Sri Lanka at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday. England is in ninth position on the table with just two points from four matches, similar to their opponents Sri Lanka, who are placed just above in eighth position.
A win on Thursday will not just boost their points but increase their confidence to face tougher opponents like India and Australia ahead in the tournament. A defeat for England will virtually put them out of the tournament.
To avoid an early exit, England need to play the brand of cricket they are known for. In particular, their batters need to perform as per their calibre. They will not get a more favourable venue than the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with its short boundaries and flat pitch-aiding runs.
English pace battery needs to put up a show to help the team register a second win in the tournament. Reece Topley, who was their only bowler with some good performances behind his belt, has been ruled out of the tournament.
Mark Wood, the leader of England's pace attack proved very expensive. He picked only 3 wickets in 4 innings with an economy of 6.77 at an average of 70.00. He has not even bowled the full quota of 10 overs in every match.
The right-arm pacer Chris Woakes, who showed brilliant form against Australia in the home series hasn't clicked yet. Woakes has picked just 2 wickets in 18 overs of 3 matches of the World Cup, where he leaked the runs at an economy of 7.50 with an average of 67.50. Again, he has also not bowled his full quota of overs in all the three matches he played.
The last match here between Australia and Pakistan produced a combined 672 runs, and the England batters would desperately want to repeat their effort against Bangladesh on October 10 when they mustered 364 for 9 at Dharamsala.
It has been a forgettable tournament for England batters except Dawid Malan and Joe Root to a lesser extent, have been unable to find their range, a defeat against Afghanistan and the mauling by South Africa still play out like the reels of a bad dream.
The failures of all their all-rounders might have been the most disappointing as it was England's strength since the 2019 World Cup. There were so many expectations from the captain Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone but none of them delivered.
They started the tournament with four all-rounders Woakes, Ali, Curran and Livingstone but three matches later against South Africa none of them made it to the playing 11. Even Ben Stokes played as a pure batter. Such a drastic template change shows the all-around indecisiveness inside the England camp.