"Expectation vs reality" - Wasim Jaffer trolls England following humiliating 229-run loss to South Africa in 2023 World Cup
England's underwhelming run in the ongoing 2023 World Cup continued as the side suffered an embarrassing 229-run defeat against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, October 21.
Skipper Jos Buttler won the toss for England and elected to field first. However, the decision backfired as South Africa registered an imposing 399-run total. Heinrich Klaasen stole the show with a 109-run knock and found strong support from Reeza Hendricks (85), Marco Jansen (75*), and Rassie van der Dussen (60).
England's batters failed to get going in the run chase and were ultimately bundled out for a paltry score of 170. Mark Wood (43*) and Gus Atkinson (35) were the only two to cross the 20-run mark. It is worth mentioning that this is England's biggest defeat in men's ODI cricket.
Former India opener Wasim Jaffer shared a hilarious meme on social media after the defending champions succumbed to their third loss in the showpiece event. He captioned the post:
"The Angrez expectation vs reality this World Cup 😅"
With just a solitary victory to their name after four matches, England are currently languishing in the ninth place on the 2023 World Cup points table.
"The humidity was one of the challenges" - Jos Buttler on England's performance against South Africa in 2023 World Cup
England captain Jos Buttler expressed his disappointment over his team's sub-par performance in their clash against South Africa. He suggested that the heat and humidity in Mumbai made it very tough for them.
He opined that the side would have backed themselves to chase the mammoth target down if they had managed to get off to a flying start. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Buttler said:
"Incredibly disappointing. We were well beaten. We have come here to play our best cricket. Lots of things didn't go to plan in the first innings. Reece picked up the injury. The boys fought hard. We could have restricted to 340-350, could have been a good chase. Incredibly tough under the heat."
The England skipper added:
"Could have been a good chase had we gotten off to a good start. The humidity was one of the challenges. Was tough. We needed to get off to a very good start. Couple of dismissals down the leg-side didn't help. Leaves us with no room for error. Need to win every game from here on." he added.
England will now take on Sri Lanka at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 26.