England’s ODI cricket: After a third-straight series defeat in the West Indies, how do England fix their 50-over cricket? | Cricket News
What goes incorrect with England’s ODI facet and how can they flip issues round?
Wednesday’s eight-wicket hammering at the arms of the West Indies in Barbados consigned England to a third consecutive ODI series defeat and after a thirteenth loss in their final 20 video games inclusive of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
It is all a far cry from the group that topped the world rankings on their method to a first 50-over World Cup victory on dwelling soil 4 years prior.
With Check head coach Brendon McCullum to take over each white-ball roles from January, what would he have learnt from England’s newest 50-over hiccup – and what wants fixing?
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Michael Atherton sits down with Brendon McCullum to debate his new appointment as England’s white-ball head coach.
Decide your finest group!
This sounds easy sufficient, however since that 2019 World Cup win, England have hardly ever put out a full-strength facet in the 50-over format, the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer often absent for, in their circumstances, relaxation, retirement (albeit briefly) and repeated accidents.
Ben Stokes has performed in solely 19 ODIs for England since the 2019 50-over World Cup win
After England’s debacle of a World Cup defence in which they beat solely Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Pakistan amid six different heavy defeats, managing director of the males’s group Rob Key stated: “Each single time the choice has been made for whether or not or not we concentrate on 50-over cricket, Check cricket or T20, I’ve at all times chosen Check cricket.
“I made the mistake of thinking that actually it will be alright when we get there and that’s not been the case. You sort of made the assumption that, without playing lots of 50-over cricket, actually this is such a good team that will just slip into old habits and away we go.”
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England Cricket managing director Rob Key offers an perception into the tradition of the dressing room, saying all they ask from the gamers is to ‘commit’.
Of the 62 ODIs England have performed since their 2019 World Cup win, their finest batter Root has performed in solely 28 of them, Stokes even fewer at 19, with their participation on Check excursions – reminiscent of the ones of Pakistan and New Zealand that bookend this West Indies series – prioritised amid an more and more jam-packed schedule.
After which, even amongst the squad that’s chosen, England’s decision-making is typically curious. As John Turner and Saqib Mahmood made approach for Reece Topley and Jamie Overton in the series-deciding third ODI in Barbados, former captain Sir Alastair Prepare dinner stated on TNT Sports activities: “I’m slightly surprise by the changes.
“Let’s take Mahmood, for instance. He was unnoticed for the first sport, comes in for the second, does okay, bowls fairly properly however is then out for the third.
“We see with the Test team, they’re backing players all the time. The one-day team seems to be changing every game. I’m not quite sure what they think is their best team. For me, it’s a little bit confusing.”
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Sky Sports activities’ Nasser Hussain and Ricky Ponting talk about which England gamers might be prone to departing after Jos Buttler returns.
Too many all-rounders and debuts dished out
Sticking with England’s choice struggles, Stokes’ absence leaves them with the problem of balancing the group, as did the injury-enforced absence right here of captain Jos Buttler – who is anticipated to return for the five-match T20 series, albeit not as wicketkeeper.
Stand-in skipper Liam Livingstone was shunted as much as No 5 as a end result and, magnificent although his maiden ODI century in the second ODI was, solely twice in his 30 ODIs previous to this series had he been that top in the order… the final such occasion coming approach again when in opposition to the Netherlands in the summer season of 2022.
Liam Livingstone struck a magnificent, unbeaten 124 – off simply 85 balls – to win the second ODI for England
Sam Curran too was in unfamiliar territory, batting a minimum of one place too excessive when slotted in at No 6 for the first time in his 35-cap ODI profession, whereas Jordan Cox debuted at No 3, a place he has by no means performed at home Record A degree, placing his underwhelming return of twenty-two runs by the three-match series in some form of context.
Curran was additionally used sparingly with the ball, bowling eight wicketless overs throughout the three matches. And on condition that Livingstone used as many as NINE totally different bowlers throughout the West Indies innings in the second ODI, do England want fairly so many all-rounders in their facet and will a few extra specialists be chosen – with bat and ball?
Jamie Overton is one other. Having not bowled in any respect in the first ODI and batting at No 8, his ODI debut was restricted to a one-ball duck, earlier than he a minimum of despatched down 4 overs and supplied a useful lower-order cameo of 32 on his return to the facet in the series decider.
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Watch the finest pictures from Jamie Smith’s maiden Check century for England, in opposition to Sri Lanka at Outdated Trafford earlier this summer season.
And that is one other factor: debuts. England have dished out 25 debut caps since their 2019 World Cup triumph – 4 on this tour alone – however solely 5 have since surpassed double figures in phrases of appearances (Livingstone, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Will Jacks and Brydon Carse). The likes of Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson additionally look to have shiny futures, although their Check success will now restrict their white-ball involvement considerably.
It is too early to inform with Cox, Overton is a risk with bat and ball when match, Turner bowled properly and with tempo in the second ODI, whereas Dan Mousley’s maiden fifty in Barbados hinted at a shiny future. However the pathway for all of them must be clear, in order that they don’t seem to be quickly consigned to the scrap heap a la Tom Banton, Sam Hain and George Scrimshaw earlier than them.
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George Scrimshaw endured a weird England ODI debut, bowling a number of no-balls earlier than taking his first wicket.
The challenges of the ever-crowded cricket schedule
A big motive behind the swathe of England ODI debutants over the final 5 years has been the more and more congested worldwide schedule – not precisely aided by the Covid pandemic in 2020.
The requirement at the moment for separate squad bubbles between Check and white-ball groups necessitated a bigger participant pool to choose from, whereas it additionally allowed for ODI and T20 series to be performed virtually concurrently to Check matches.
Whereas we do not have the similar set of circumstances 4 years on, the hole between Check and white-ball excursions is ever shrinking, with there being simply three days separating the scheduled finish of England’s tour of Pakistan and the West indies, whereas their subsequent Check series in New Zealand begins 11 days after the remaining T20 in St Lucia.
England suffered a 2-1 series defeat to Pakistan simply days previous to the white-ball tour of the West Indies
“How we get the balance right is really challenging because the volume of international cricket and everything else that goes around it, that’s not easy to do,” interim head coach Marcus Trescothick instructed TNT Sports activities after the series loss to the West Indies.
“Guys have just finished the Test series in Pakistan. There is another Test series starting in 20 days’ time.”
“For the powers above to try and balance that structure and get that right, it’s something for them to look at but it’s not going to be easy.”
And that is exactly why England can so hardly ever choose their strongest facet. Although the crammed calendar is just not a distinctive drawback to them, different groups have a tendency to profit from intervals of relaxation a minimum of throughout the English summer season (until touring there themselves), as cricket in the Caribbean, Africa, the sub-continent and the southern hemisphere is often favoured for the winter months – a time the place England too are busy touring these locations, making their schedule uniquely year-round.
Taking a look at that problem by a extra optimistic lens, Trescothick added: “We look at the opportunity to get a few games into them [players with less experience], so we can see these guys that may potentially impact the team in the future.
“It’s good to see them taking part in underneath stress and in opposition to a good West Indies group.”
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Highlights from the males’s remaining in The Hundred as Oval Invincibles beat Southern Courageous to retain the title.
That is true, however the schedule has already bought its claws into the fledgling careers of the likes of Jacob Bethell, Cox and Mousley too, with the IPL and the introduction of The Hundred pushing county cricket more and more to the margins of the summer season – notably the home 50-over competitors which clashes with The Hundred.
It implies that England’s subsequent technology of 50-over skills even have little or no expertise of the format itself.
Curran quipped that when Mousley joined him in the center with 15 overs to go in England’s innings in the first ODI that the debutant “almost admitted himself he hadn’t actually played loads of 50-over cricket… guys are learning.”
Taking the positives!
Given Mousley’s restricted expertise – the 23-year-old having performed solely three Record A video games previous to this tour and none in three years – his maiden fifty to assist rescue England from 94-5 and in direction of 263 in the remaining ODI was vastly encouraging.
As was Livingstone’s magnificent, unbeaten 124 – off simply 85 balls – to win the second ODI, and the proven fact that Archer, although not at his finest throughout the series, got here by three matches in row for the first time in a series since his reintroduction to the group this 12 months after a persistent elbow damage.
Jofra Archer performed all three video games for England in the ODI series in the West Indies
Salt ended the series with back-to-back fifties to see him peaking simply in time for the five-match T20 series, historically his favorite format, whereas 21-year-old Bethell once more flashed his appreciable expertise in scoring 55 in the second ODI.
We have not seen the skills but of 22-year-old Yorkshire leg-spinner Jafer Chohan on this tour, however might be set to in the T20s, together with Essex wicketkeeper-batter Michael Pepper, whereas the return of Buttler – each as captain and together with his appreciable batting brilliance – is a massive bonus.
A T20 series win to complete the tour would not clear up England’s 50-over failings however it might actually make this younger group really feel higher about issues – the similar squad of 17 chosen, barring Buttler’s inclusion in place of the New Zealand-bound Cox.
Plus, there’s McCullum’s arrival on the horizon and the promise of Bazball-style bounce that so aided the Check group.
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Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton talk about England’s appointment of Brendon McCullum as their new white-ball head coach and the challenges that lie forward for him.
England had gained just one Check in their earlier 17 previous to his appointment as head coach in the summer season of 2022, a disaster of such epic proportions that this present ODI blip of theirs would barely even register.
Beneath McCullum since, the Check group proudly boast 20 wins, 11 defeats and a solitary draw, with 11 of these victories coming in his first 13 matches in cost earlier than outcomes have begun to fluctuate a contact extra since the 2023 Ashes.
There will be no doubting the rapid and profound impacts he has had on the group and this younger, gifted white-ball facet are ripe to reap the similar rewards.