In the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, England’s dismal performance has sparked concern and raised questions about their unprecedented underperformance. Eoin Morgan, the former captain who led England to World Cup glory in 2019, has expressed his dismay at the team’s struggles, suggesting that something is amiss within the squad.
England’s World Cup campaign has been far from ideal, with heavy defeats in four out of their five group games, leaving their chances of advancing to the semi-finals in jeopardy. Although they have not been officially eliminated from the tournament, the likelihood of them making a comeback appears slim.
Morgan, while speaking about England’s poor form, mentioned that he has observed unsettling factors within the team and questioned their method and morale. He went on to claim that the team’s performance in the context of the high expectations was unparalleled in the history of sports.
“I’ve never come across a sports team that has underperformed like this England team, given the level of expectation that is on their shoulders,” Morgan stated.
The former captain emphasized that the team’s struggles go beyond mere loss of form, hinting at deeper issues affecting their performance. He alluded to the selection errors and the team’s inability to find the right balance, particularly in the batting department. Morgan’s concern was about the confidence and morale within the changing room, which, according to him, are at an all-time low.
Morgan said
“There’s something within the team that is definitely unsettled. The method which they’re trying to use and given the substantial nature in which they’ve lost the game[s], it is definitely called into question, the morale within the changing room and the confidence. It must be at its lowest that it’s been for a considerable period of time now.”
I think there’s something else going on – there has to be,” he said. “When you look at the strength in depth, particularly with the bat, England are as good on paper as any other side in this tournament, but they haven’t yet fired.
“They’ve made mistakes with selection: they’ve really struggled to find a balanced side and one that’s effective enough to compete, never mind win this tournament. It’s been unbelievably challenging for Jos and his team… they have to regain the confidence in the method that they’ve used for so long that has made them double world champions.”
Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, admitted that the squad is feeling immense pressure and frustration due to their poor results. He expressed bewilderment over the team’s collective failures with the bat and highlighted the lack of consistency in scoring runs. England’s batting unit has struggled to build partnerships, and no player has managed to score an individual fifty in their last two matches.
“The thing that’s baffled me the most is that it’s been consistent across the board,” Trescothick said. “Bar the game at Dharamsala, where we played Bangladesh, where one got a big score [Dawid Malan’s 140] and we got a few other big scores around it, there’s just never been the consistency of people getting the runs.
“I think they’re trying to understand it… it [their form] has not gone, it’s just hiding in a funny place at the moment. It’s not suddenly disappeared and they’re never going to score runs again. They’ll rebound from this and rebound back into form at some point. But it might be, unfortunately, disappointing that it’s going to be too late for this competition.”
Despite the dismal state of affairs, the team is looking to rebound and regain confidence in their playing method. However, the time available to turn their campaign around is running out, which adds to the complexity of the situation.
Morgan pointed out the challenges posed by playing on a used pitch against tournament favorites India and urged the team to focus on their performance rather than external distractions. He stressed the importance of staying in the present and overcoming the current obstacles.
“The timing actually couldn’t be any worse,” Morgan said. “Given India are still out and out favourites to win this tournament on home soil, that challenge just becomes far bigger now than it probably would be if you were playing on a fresh pitch.
“England just have to play what’s in front of them,” he added. “For a lot of this tournament, I believe that they’ve been carrying other things or looking outside of the camp, as opposed to their own performance. They need to stay in the present for as long as they can tomorrow and turn India over.”
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