Ahead of England’s heavy defeat against two time World Cup champions India, England has been facing severe backlash for their dismal performance in the ongoing tournament. No one had expected that the team which held the title of World Cup 2022 champions would have showcased such a poor performance in this year’s edition of the World Cup. Out of all the matches the team has played till now, it emerged victorious in just one, against Bangladesh and remained defeated in the remainder.
Shastri Roasts the defending champions
During his commentary in the England vs India match on October 30, Veteran Indian cricketer and commentator Ravi Shastri went on to pick at the English men criticising them for their poor conduct in the tournament. Shastri went on to assert that “England should be devastated – spectators, supporters. Because the first match which they lost, 17 overs were left in the game when New Zealand beat them. Against South Africa, they got all out in 20 overs. That game ended early. Then they were all out in 30 overs against Sri Lanka, where SL chased the target and finished the match in 25 overs. Today, they lost 8 wickets inside 32 overs. You call yourselves World Champions? It means, if they aren’t sad over their performance, who will?”
From here on, England will have to play for pride. The reason I am saying that is because right now they are at the bottom of the points table. And in the Champions Trophy which takes place in 2025, only the top 8 teams of the World Cup can qualify. So if England remain in the bottom two, imagine a team like them not playing an ICC tournament as big as the CT would be a huge blow,” he added during the commentary.
Onto next…
Currently, the team to finish beneath the line in the ICC Rankings Table is England. With just 3 matches left in their hands against Australia, Netherlands and Pakistan, it seems the team won’t be able to make a big difference looking at their past performances. England will take on Australia on November 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
