3 reasons why England might finish last in the 2023 World Cup
England's 2023 World Cup hopes are now hanging by the proverbial thread after an embarrassing eight-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Having opted to bat first, a power-packed batting lineup crashed to 156 all out as a determined bowling and fielding effort from the Sri Lankans saw them dominate the defending champions. Despite a wobbly start to their chase, Sri Lanka coasted home in the 26th over thanks to unbeaten half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Having lost three matches on the bounce and four in five outings, England's title defense looks all but over. They currently lie ninth on the points table ahead of the Netherlands by virtue of a superior net run rate, although even that factor has sunk even further following the loss against the Lankans.
From holding the trophy aloft in 2019, there's a good chance that England might be consigned to being cellar dwellers this time at the 2023 World Cup.
Here, we assess three reasons as to why they might finish the tournament at the bottom of the points table.
#1 Tough games lie ahead
If England's 2023 World Cup campaign wasn't challenging enough already, they now run into a red-hot Indian team in Lucknow on Sunday at the worst possible juncture.
That is definitely a last-chance salon for Jos Buttler and his men if they are to make a late dash for the semifinals. Following that are duels against a resurgent Australia and the Netherlands, who have proven to be a slippery banana peel as South Africa will tell you.
The reigning champions conclude their round-robin campaign against the mercurial and unpredictable Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. That's certainly not going to be an easy ride if Pakistan suddenly find the wheels to their campaign and turn up at the right time.
The one team that has arguably done worse than England at the 2023 World Cup is the team they managed to beat - Bangladesh. Clearly, it's not looking rosy for the reigning champions.
#2 Lots of issues plaguing the team
It has been hard to pick out one standout performer from England's campaign thus far at the 2023 World Cup. And this applies to all departments with nobody going on to stamp their authority on the competition.
Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, and Jos Buttler have struggled for form while the runs have dried up for Dawid Malan post his stellar 140 against Bangladesh. It's been a similar story for Joe Root who has tapered off after twin half-centuries to start the tournament while majority of the bowlers have taken an absolute beating.
Adil Rashid has been amongst the wickets but he has had far too much to do by himself. Just when Reece Topley added wings to the setup, an untimely injury cut his stint short.
The continuous chopping and changing is also reflective of a team that just doesn't seem to know what its best combination seems to be. With so many issues to resolve, there's every reason to believe that England might finish rock bottom in the points table.
#3 The team looks lost for motivation
It's hard to make such a judgment from our television sets but the image of skipper Jos Buttler burying his face under his palms in the dressing room during the game against South Africa in Mumbai painted a damning picture.
Whether it was just a coincidence or not is unknown but the manner in which England have played without a clear plan with bat or ball is not reflective of a team that entered the tournament as defending champions and one of the favorites to make the knockouts.
If the loss against Afghanistan had hurt, the drubbing at the hands of South Africa would have knackered them. And now, on the back of an embarrassing defeat to Sri Lanka, their 2023 World Cup campaign has taken a sorry turn.
You'd think the only way forward hereon is up since they've experienced the worst. But they need to muster a solid amount of confidence and motivation to prove why they remain a good team in this format.
That seems distant and this point and hence, there's every chance they could finish with the wooden spoon - quite a fall from the highs of 2019, isn't it?
Can England gather themselves and turn in a good performance against India in their next 2023 World Cup clash? Have your say in the comments section below!