"Every team will play 3 spinners against England after seeing this performance" - Mohammad Kaif on their batting collapse vs Afghanistan
Mohammad Kaif reckons every opponent will look to play a spin-heavy attack against England after their batting collapse in the World Cup 2023 clash against Afghanistan.
Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. set England a 285-run target in Delhi on Sunday, October 15. Jos Buttler's side then lost eight wickets to spin and were bowled out for 215 to lose the game by 69 runs.
During a discussion on Star Sports, Kaif was asked about England's shortcomings in Sunday's game. While highlighting their bowling and team selection issues, the former India batter opined that opposing teams might look to take advantage of their travails against the spinners. He stated:
"Bowling first and then be sure what your best XI is, whether Moeen Ali will play or not. He played the first match and then you dropped him. So you have to decide your best XI and after that batting."
Kaif added:
"You will have to chase targets like 284. You will want to survive against spin but that won't happen. You will have to play spin well. You will get Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja against India, and R Ashwin might play. Every team will play three spinners against England after seeing this performance."
India will face England in Lucknow on October 29. Although Rohit Sharma and Co. have played Shardul Thakur in their last two games, they might look to play Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of the seam-bowling all-rounder in that match.
"If you remove Topley's 4 wickets, they haven't taken wickets at all" - Mohammad Kaif criticizes England's bowling
![Reece Topley picked up four wickets against Bangladesh. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/10/16270-16974464205578-1920.jpg?w=500)
However, Mohammad Kaif picked England's toothless bowling as a bigger concern. He explained:
"They lost the first match against New Zealand in Ahmedabad by nine wickets. It was a big defeat. They could pick up only one wicket there. Then Reece Topley came against Bangladesh and he had four wickets to his name. If you remove Topley's four wickets, they haven't taken wickets at all."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the defending champions cannot retain their title if they don't improve their bowling. He elaborated:
"They are making changes but the bowling looked extremely flat. Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are getting hit. If you leave aside Topley, there is no other positive. How will you move forward? You cannot win the World Cup based on batting alone."
Kaif highlighted that the World Cup is mostly being played on flat pitches, with a plethora of centuries already being scored. He concluded by stating that a team will have great difficulties if they don't bowl well in India.