"We have been complacent with this 50-over team" - Michael Vaughan explains the reason behind England's sinking 2023 World Cup campaign
Former England captain Michael Vaughan admitted that the ECB has conveniently ignored one-day cricket following their 2019 World Cup victory, highlighted by their struggles in the ongoing edition. He underlined that England's key players have hardly played ODI cricket together since 2019, affecting their ability to assess combinations.
England's 229-run drubbing at the hands of South Africa has left them on the brink of an early World Cup exit. The Englishmen conceded 399 in 50 overs as Heinrich Klaasen clobbered a 61-ball hundred and stitched together a 151-run partnership with Marco Jansen.
Later, the Proteas bowlers came out all guns firing and bowled the defending champions out for 170.
In his column for The Telegraph, the Englishman stated that Jos Buttler and Co. have been a massive letdown and it's almost impossible for them to reach the semi-finals from here. He wrote:
"After their thrashing by South Africa, England may not be officially out of this World Cup, but it’s almost impossible to see them making the semi-finals.
"I think all of us in the English game, from the team itself to the media and fans, have to admit that we have been complacent with this 50-over team."
The 48-year-old observed that England played several ODIs ahead of the 2019 edition compared to the previous one and developed a style of playing, which worked for them. Vaughan elaborated:
"From 2015 to 2019, England focused on ODI cricket and cared about it. They played 88 games between World Cups. They won 54 and lost 23. They used 34 players, six of whom played 70-plus games, seven more played 40-plus.
"So they found a style and players, then backed it, getting their combinations grooved. This World Cup cycle has been very different. They have played 42 ODIs, winning 22 and losing 16. They have used 44 players, and only four of those have played more than 25 games."
Buttler and Co. were impressive prior to the World Cup as they registered series wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand. England have struggled not just with the bat and ball, but also in choosing their combinations.
"You need really high-class quick bowling" - Michael Vaughan on pacers' role in India
Vaughan went on to lament the absence of quality batters and bowlers for the conditions and reasoned that players haven't played together for a long time. He explained:
"In India, you need really high-class quick bowling, with skill not just pace. Anything wayward gets dispatched. You need more than one spinner. You need two or three to provide moments of magic. And with the bat, you need solid all-round players working in combination.
"England do not have that. England have arrived not knowing what their approach is because they have not played together for so long. Too many players have not played well for a long time, because their involvement has been stop-start."
Vaughan also criticized England for their lack of stability in batting and using players out of their positions.
"Jos Buttler is one of them. I am watching thinking there is no substance to any of the partnerships, with bat or ball. How has it got to the stage that four games into a World Cup, England have used every player and have David Willey batting No 7? At their best, he would have been at 9 or 10 in a side that batted all the way down."
England's next match in the ODI World Cup is against Sri Lanka on October 26 in Bengaluru.