Even with result like that Sri Lanka's NRR is still better than England's. I cant see us beating the Aussies on Saturday so it will be down to our last 2 games to see if we can not finish bottom.
If Afghanistan beat the Netherlands tomorrow, it's hard to see where the Dutch might get another win. In which case England should be OK for 8th if we beat the Dutch. Lose to the Dutch and 10th looks more likely than any other position. I still can't quite believe that's the level of performance that we're talking about.
Even with result like that Sri Lanka's NRR is still better than England's. I cant see us beating the Aussies on Saturday so it will be down to our last 2 games to see if we can not finish bottom.
We won't get a better chance of beating them as they have no Maxwell (concussion) and Marsh (returned home for personal reasons) - two of their best performing batsmen in this WC and their most economic bowler, by far, too. Presumably, that means the return of both Stoinis and Green.
Stokes to have an op to sort out his knee after the World Cup
Waste of everyone's time him going to the world Cup, missed 3 games. Could have sorted the knee a few months ago and be well on the way back to fitness
Stokes to have an op to sort out his knee after the World Cup
Waste of everyone's time him going to the world Cup, missed 3 games. Could have sorted the knee a few months ago and be well on the way back to fitness
He really should have that op instead of going to the IPL given that he played three games there and bowled just one over.
Good to see Root following the Robinson school of engaging mouth from that position of strength of being bottom. Another poster for the Aussies to pin on their dressing room door.
Part of England's problems have, ironically, been their strength and the very thing that helped them to win the T20 and ODI WCs - their togetherness and the fact that Buttler is mates with so many of them. Root's comments are, I suspect, an extension of that. They all seem so empty, though, as there is nothing tangible to back them up with. So what if we get ourselves up for this game against the Aussies? We shouldn't be in this position in the first place!
The difficulty is that we haven't evolved as a squad. Look at the average age of the squad and the only players to miss out from the last ODI WC - Archer (injured), Morgan, Plunkett and Hales (all retired), Denly and Vince (peripheral members of the 2019 squad) and Roy (who was very reluctantly dropped at the last minute and only because of the public clamour for Brook to be included). That togetherness is also the reason that Stokes was recalled.
The lack of ODIs in the last year made it extremely difficult for any outsider to break into the group. But where does that hunger come from if "you've been there, done it and worn the T shirt" and haven't prepared properly either? The poor results and known difference in Central Contracts haven't helped either. I genuinely think that the ECB and the players too thought that they could just turn up and even if they needed a couple of games to get into it that they would make the semis come what may.
I would say that this is now the ideal opportunity to bring together the next generation of white ball. Who cares about winning a meaningless series that has been bolted onto a Test series? Of course, by that, I don't mean dropping the whole squad. I mean losing the likes of Root, Stokes, Bairstow and Moeen. Willey has retired and Livingstone deserves to be dropped until such time as he proves some consistency. The trouble is the ECB have made it so hard to do that by handing out these multi-year contracts.
The one other thing has become apparent is that Buttler cannot do three jobs and the captaincy has materially affected both our results and his form. The time is right to hand that job to Brook. He captained the England U19s, is a very confident and talented cricketer and isn't someone who will suffer fools or anyone who isn't prepared to buy into the right ethos either.
If we wanted a team to usurp us for playing "braindead" cricket, may I offer up the Netherlands as candidates. Four of their top five have now been run out and another batsman has been stumped too. The last time four players were run out in an ODI in the WC was in 2011. And that was the Netherlands too!
What this also demonstrates is how Trott has worked with Afghanistan on their fielding. One hundred percent commitment in attacking the ball with a throw to match.
Afghanistan win by 7 wickets with 18.3 overs to spare. That is their fourth win of the tournament and unless they lose their final two games and we win our final three, they will finish above us. Trott has done a brilliant job.
Afghanistan's win qualifies them for the next Champions Trophy and brings Australia and New Zealand along with them. Although Bangladesh are the only team who can't reach 8 points, England and Netherlands still have to play each other, so at least one of those two (more likely both) won't reach 8.
Pakistan qualify automatically as hosts, so the remaining 2 slots are contested between Sri Lanka (4 points), Netherlands (4), Bangladesh (2) and England (2, with a game in hand). All except England have 2 to play. England's run rate is the worst of the 4, but we're close enough to the Netherlands' run rate that a big win against them is probably enough to go through. (And no, even after the whole of this over-long tournament, I still can't believe I'm talking about what we need to do to out-qualify the Netherlands on net run rate. FFS.)
Stokes "every player, not just the senior players, needs to stand up". In the side that played the last two matches, which of them isn't a senior player because, bar Livingstone who has just the 54 games to his name, all of them have played well over a hundred internationals in all forms of cricket.
Just for fun, here's only remaining path to England reaching the semi-finals, assuming no mass-disqualifications:
- England must beat Austrailia - Pakistan must beat New Zealand - England must beat Netherlands - Sri Lanka must beat New Zealand - the loser of Australia v Afghanistan must lose their remaining game (Aus v Bangladesh or Afgh v SA) - England must beat Pakistan - England must increase their net run rate sufficient to get ahead of NZ and anyone else finishing on 8 points.
In the above case, the qualifiers are India, SA, the winner of Australia v Afghanistan and England. Of course, the chances of all the above happening are as close to zero as makes no difference.
Just for fun, here's only remaining path to England reaching the semi-finals, assuming no mass-disqualifications:
- England must beat Austrailia - Pakistan must beat New Zealand - England must beat Netherlands - Sri Lanka must beat New Zealand - the loser of Australia v Afghanistan must lose their remaining game (Aus v Bangladesh or Afgh v SA) - England must beat Pakistan - England must increase their net run rate sufficient to get ahead of NZ and anyone else finishing on 8 points.
In the above case, the qualifiers are India, SA, the winner of Australia v Afghanistan and England. Of course, the chances of all the above happening are as close to zero as makes no difference.
You can still get 1,000/1 with any number of bookies on England winning the WC. Even those odds aren't exactly generous.
If we wanted a team to usurp us for playing "braindead" cricket, may I offer up the Netherlands as candidates. Four of their top five have now been run out and another batsman has been stumped too. The last time four players were run out in an ODI in the WC was in 2011. And that was the Netherlands too!
What this also demonstrates is how Trott has worked with Afghanistan on their fielding. One hundred percent commitment in attacking the ball with a throw to match.
If we wanted a team to usurp us for playing "braindead" cricket, may I offer up the Netherlands as candidates. Four of their top five have now been run out and another batsman has been stumped too. The last time four players were run out in an ODI in the WC was in 2011. And that was the Netherlands too!
What this also demonstrates is how Trott has worked with Afghanistan on their fielding. One hundred percent commitment in attacking the ball with a throw to match.
152-8 off 35
Was three run outs and two stumpings, imo
And mine but it's what is in the book that counts - Edwards was deemed because he hit it to be attempting a run.
NZ are well on their way to taking one step close to confirming their place in the semis. They are currently 211-1 off 30 against Pakistan with the find of the tournament, Ravindra on 88* (79) and the returning Williamson on 71* (62)
If NZ win, they will officially put England out of the tournament before Australia get the chance to do it. Unless we bat first and get skittled very quickly...
Sky interviewed Willey who, it is clear, is still, somewhat naturally, upset about the whole contract situation. He talked in terms of the squad meeting up at Lord's knowing that he was the only one without one. I can't imagine how hard that must be especially when the person who is the travelling reserve has one too - the very man that replaced you in the 2019 WC and who since then has hardly bowled a ball in anger.
Willey was also asked about the timing of his announcement of retirement in international cricket rather than at the end of the tournament. Unless one has been in his shoes of constantly not knowing whether he was going to be picked for this squad or that squad, let alone a game, it is difficult to imagine what he has gone through especially without, at times, that insurance of a contract. It would be easy to assume that the announcement was a reaction to the ECB's timing of their own central contract revelations. But he wanted clarity. He wanted to rid himself of those worries as to whether he was going to be picked or not. He'd moved on. As have, let's face it, the rest of the squad long since judging by their performances here.
Comments
Shami 5-18
The difficulty is that we haven't evolved as a squad. Look at the average age of the squad and the only players to miss out from the last ODI WC - Archer (injured), Morgan, Plunkett and Hales (all retired), Denly and Vince (peripheral members of the 2019 squad) and Roy (who was very reluctantly dropped at the last minute and only because of the public clamour for Brook to be included). That togetherness is also the reason that Stokes was recalled.
The lack of ODIs in the last year made it extremely difficult for any outsider to break into the group. But where does that hunger come from if "you've been there, done it and worn the T shirt" and haven't prepared properly either? The poor results and known difference in Central Contracts haven't helped either. I genuinely think that the ECB and the players too thought that they could just turn up and even if they needed a couple of games to get into it that they would make the semis come what may.
I would say that this is now the ideal opportunity to bring together the next generation of white ball. Who cares about winning a meaningless series that has been bolted onto a Test series? Of course, by that, I don't mean dropping the whole squad. I mean losing the likes of Root, Stokes, Bairstow and Moeen. Willey has retired and Livingstone deserves to be dropped until such time as he proves some consistency. The trouble is the ECB have made it so hard to do that by handing out these multi-year contracts.
The one other thing has become apparent is that Buttler cannot do three jobs and the captaincy has materially affected both our results and his form. The time is right to hand that job to Brook. He captained the England U19s, is a very confident and talented cricketer and isn't someone who will suffer fools or anyone who isn't prepared to buy into the right ethos either.
What this also demonstrates is how Trott has worked with Afghanistan on their fielding. One hundred percent commitment in attacking the ball with a throw to match.
152-8 off 35
Pakistan qualify automatically as hosts, so the remaining 2 slots are contested between Sri Lanka (4 points), Netherlands (4), Bangladesh (2) and England (2, with a game in hand). All except England have 2 to play. England's run rate is the worst of the 4, but we're close enough to the Netherlands' run rate that a big win against them is probably enough to go through. (And no, even after the whole of this over-long tournament, I still can't believe I'm talking about what we need to do to out-qualify the Netherlands on net run rate. FFS.)
- England must beat Austrailia
- Pakistan must beat New Zealand
- England must beat Netherlands
- Sri Lanka must beat New Zealand
- the loser of Australia v Afghanistan must lose their remaining game (Aus v Bangladesh or Afgh v SA)
- England must beat Pakistan
- England must increase their net run rate sufficient to get ahead of NZ and anyone else finishing on 8 points.
In the above case, the qualifiers are India, SA, the winner of Australia v Afghanistan and England. Of course, the chances of all the above happening are as close to zero as makes no difference.
Willey was also asked about the timing of his announcement of retirement in international cricket rather than at the end of the tournament. Unless one has been in his shoes of constantly not knowing whether he was going to be picked for this squad or that squad, let alone a game, it is difficult to imagine what he has gone through especially without, at times, that insurance of a contract. It would be easy to assume that the announcement was a reaction to the ECB's timing of their own central contract revelations. But he wanted clarity. He wanted to rid himself of those worries as to whether he was going to be picked or not. He'd moved on. As have, let's face it, the rest of the squad long since judging by their performances here.
261-3 off 35.5