A fresh start: England hope to put World Cup woes behind them

The hosts look to improve recent ODI record with five matches against New Zealand


Afp June 08, 2015
England suffered humiliation at the hands of New Zealand the last time these two sides met at the World Cup. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON: England, not for the first time, will try to re-launch themselves as an ODI side when they face World Cup finalists New Zealand in the first of a five-match series at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Since the last of their three losing World Cup final appearances back in 1992, England have struggled to keep up with changes in the 50-over game.

But this year’s World Cup represented a new low, with England failing to beat a single Test nation in a tournament where they suffered a first-round exit after a defeat by Bangladesh.

An antiquated approach, where 300 was regarded as a par score, was dubbed as “prehistoric” by Paul Collingwood, the only man to lead the side to a global limited overs trophy — the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

It also played a key role in Peter Moores being sacked as England coach by incoming director of cricket Andrew Strauss and replaced by Australian Trevor Bayliss.

In omitting the likes of senior pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad, as well as experienced batsman Ian Bell to accommodate the hard-hitting Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy, as well as leg-spinner Adil Rashid, England’s squad — still led by World Cup skipper Eoin Morgan — has something of a fresh look about it.

The 2019 World Cup will be staged in England, where pitch and overhead conditions sometimes mean that huge scores achieved in the southern hemisphere are not always within reach.

But wicketkeeper Buttler, one of a new breed of fast-scoring batsmen, accepted the team’s approach to 50-over cricket had to change. “You have to be brutally honest and say we were getting it wrong,” said the 24-year-old. “We have to be looking at scores of 350 and upwards. That’s the way the game is going.”

During their run to the World Cup final, where they lost to fellow co-hosts Australia, the Black Caps hammered England by eight wickets in Wellington.

Tim Southee took a stunning 7-33 as England were skittled out for just 123. New Zealand then pulverised England’s attack, skipper Brendon McCullum striking 77 off just 25 balls, as they raced to victory in a mere 12.2 overs.

“We certainly played well that day. That’s the way we want to play,” said New Zealand coach Mike Hesson, who last week saw his side draw a two-Test series with England at 1-1 after a 199-run win at Headingley. “Hopefully conditions allow that but if not, we’ve got to try to skin the cat a little differently.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th,  2015.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ