England have accepted their chances of defending their World Cup crown are over after slumping to a fourth defeat in their first five matches in India.
The abject run of form has seen the 2019 champions slip to ninth in the table and invited an early inquest into exactly what has gone wrong with a side who were once trailblazers in the 50-over game.
Here, PA looks at five reasons for their current plight.
Lack of new bloodEven the best sporting teams need renewal from time to time, but England’s ODI golden generation has been resistant to change. Eight of their 2019 heroes were back for another go and most look a shadow of their old selves. With the Metro Bank One-Day Cup relegated to developmental status, it has been hard for domestic players to force their way in, and even one of the outstanding players of the coming generation – Harry Brook – has struggled to make the XI.
Waiting for SupermanEngland were thrilled when the inspirational Ben Stokes agreed to end his retirement from the format and it looked a trump card when he hit a national record 182 in his first series back against New Zealand. But this tournament has already passed him by. Having ruled himself out of bowling due to knee problems, he then picked up a hip complaint during the warm-up week and missed England’s first three games. Now, just as he is back and getting his eye in, England are effectively gone.
Powerless powerplaysA major part of England’s success under previous skipper Eoin Morgan was built around their fearlessness at the top of the innings. At their best the partnership of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow was a fearsome prospect, with the pair’s rampant style giving new ball bowlers the quivers. But Roy was axed on the eve of the tournament, Bairstow is short on form and Dawid Malan builds his innings more methodically. As a result they have averaged a humdrum 58 from their first 10 overs so far, and lost nine powerplay wickets in their five games. The team’s momentum is rotting from the head.
Muddled selectionEngland used just 13 players in 11 games when they won the trophy four years ago but had already used all 15 of their squad in their first four this time. They started off loaded with all-rounders, got spooked so badly that they dropped four of them by the time South Africa came around and then reverted back to their original game plan against versus Sri Lanka. Their most in-form bowler, Reece Topley, was a surprise omission from the first match before injury later ended his tournament, Brook was ditched last time out in a side exclusively comprising thirtysomethings and Moeen Ali has drifted in and out despite being vice-captain. The act of putting a balanced XI together has proved beyond them.
Unforced errorsIt is one thing to be beaten by the better team but another to giftwrap the advantage to your opponents. England did exactly that unforgivably in their crunch clash against the South Africans in Mumbai, where Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to field first in oppressive heat and humidity that left his side with the toughest possible task. He also handed Afghanistan the chance to set the tone in Delhi and paid the price then too. Two run-outs against Sri Lanka summed up their scrambled minds, a chaotic one for Joe Root and a comedic one for Adil Rashid. England have lost 47 of a possible 49 wickets to date, showing just how wasteful they have been.
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
Asalanka leads Sri Lanka to ODI series win over West Indies
Sri Lanka wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory in Pallekele.
The hosts successfully chased down their opponents' total of 189, giving them an unassailable 2-0 in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka controlled the early powerplay - Asitha Fernando (3-35) and Maheesh Theekshana (3-25) took two wickets apiece to leave the tourists at 31-4 in the ninth over.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4-40) then claimed three of his four wickets as Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh and Alzarri Joseph were all dismissed in the space of 14 balls.
However, Sherfane Rutherford (80 off 82 balls) and Gudakesh Motie (50 not out) steadied the ship to take the Windies from 58-8 to 189.
Although Joseph claimed Avishka Fernando (9) in the fourth over, Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama both chipped in with contributions of 38 to get the hosts to 112-4.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (62 not out) led the charge thereon, while Kamindu Mendis (11) comfortably got them over the line with 34 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Rutherford-Motie historic stand proves academic for tourists
West Indies were looking to level the series, but their hopes were not aided by Sri Lanka's impressive bowling.
Rutherford and Motie did their best. Their partnership brought 119 runs, which is their nation's highest ninth-wicket stand in ODI history, breaking the previous record of 85 between Yannic Cariah and Alzarri Joseph.
However, it ultimately proved in vain as the hosts secured the series with a game to spare.
'I was a tired, grumpy old man' - Stokes apologised to England team-mates after Pakistan defeat
Ben Stokes says he apologised to his England team-mates after his frustrations were evident during the second-Test defeat by Pakistan.
The hosts levelled the three-Test series on Thursday after wrapping up a 152-run win in Multan.
However, it could have been a different story but for fielding errors at crucial stages for the visitors, Jamie Smith and Joe Root notably dropping catches to dismiss Salman Agha, whose subsequent knock of 63 helped Pakistan seal victory with a day to spare.
Stokes, who returned to action following a hamstring injury, could not hide his frustration during a difficult day for England, but insisted he would not let his emotions get the better of him again.
"No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are in these subcontinent conditions, they don't come along that often," he told Sky Sports.
"I actually apologised to the group last night. It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions and how I was feeling with the way the game was unfolding show in my body language.
"I owned up to that and was very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It's something that I don't want to do or be seen to be doing, so I apologised to the group about that.
"Poor old me, I was a tired, grumpy old man last night! You won't see that happen again."
However, England coach Brendon McCullum defended the actions of his skipper.
"We all know how passionate Ben is, how much it means for him to play for England," he said.
"We've seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe and to have his first TM [Test match] in extreme conditions, 40 degrees, and be able to give what he gave to the side.
"I think, maybe, that's where some of that frustration led to - certainly, it wasn't directed at any of the players. It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game, and to impact on it."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
