Seven matches, seven chances, seven different teams but the same old result for England – A DEFEAT. This time from their old foes, Australia. Following a 33-run defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, England are now officially knocked out from the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
The Aussies answered the defending champions as to why they are the five-time World Cup winners and deserve a berth in the semis. While England were the complete opposite. A good bowling show from England but batting? As irresponsible as it could be.
ICC World Cup: Schedule | Results | Points Table | Most Runs | Most Wickets
England were back at the Narendra Modi stadium, the venue where they were defeated by New Zealand in the tournament opener, with the hope to turn fortunes with a resounding win over the Aussies. However, nothing changed.
England kicked off their chase of 287 by losing Jonny Bairstow on the very first ball of the innings. Soon, Joe Root followed Bairstow’s footsteps and took the long walk to the dressing room. At the end of Powerplay, England were reeling at 32/2.
Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes did stitch a good partnership but what England needed was – ‘Responsible Batting’.
Malan – Fifty and out! Right after celebrating his half-a-ton, he gave Pat Cummins a reason to rejoice.
Stokes – one of the most experienced ones in the group also fumbled in the chase. He looked in control but lacked confidence. The comeback man played 49 dot balls out of the total 90 he faced. It did slow down England’s momentum and damaged the chase which could have been pretty easy for even a decent team on a dewy night in Ahmedabad. But quite evidently, England have been far off from being decent in the tournament.
Ben Stokes – Sustainable or Not?
On July 18, 2022, Ben Stokes announced ODI retirement stating sustainability concerns in three formats. A year later, on 16 August 2023, the all-rounder reversed his ODI retirement to defend the ICC ODI World Cup title. November 4, 2023 – Stokes made 64 off 90 (two fours, three sixes) against Australia in Ahmedabad which was his highest score in the World Cup so far.
Since 2022, Stoke’s only remarkable performance came against New Zealand; his magnificent 184-run knock on September 13, 2023, in the 3rd ODI of the 4-match series. Rather than the sustainability and relevance of the ODI format, it is more about the sustainability of Ben Stokes in the format.
On Saturday, when over fifty-five thousand people (55,052) in the Narendra Modi Stadium were cheering for Stokes to touch the triple-digit mark and take the team home, it was him who was struggling to take his strike rate over 50.
In the last four years, England have made headlines with their performances and ‘Bazball’. They are still making headlines but this time for a ‘crap’ show. That’s not us saying it, that’s exactly what Stokes said before the match.
“I think the problem is that we’ve been crap. To be honest with you, we’ve been crap. Everything we’ve tried throughout this World Cup, through trying to put pressure back onto the opposition in a way in which we know or trying to soak up the pressure in a different way, which we know we’ve done before and been successful with, it’s just not worked,” said Stokes.
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