Two video games into their World Cup defence, and England are dealing with the nightmare situation of failing to qualify for the Tremendous Eights after a dismal 36-run defeat by Australia at Kensington Oval.
If Tuesday’s rain-off in opposition to Scotland couldn’t be helped, their efficiency right here veered between the headless, the hapless and the hopeless. It leaves them needing to beat each Oman and Namibia in Antigua, and pray that the Scots’ web run-rate doesn’t surpass theirs. Actually, you couldn’t make it up.
Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of males’s cricket, flies house on Sunday, however may discover himself returning swiftly to the Caribbean if England bow out earlier than what was imagined to be the beginning of the intense stuff.
Ought to that happen, it’s inconceivable that head coach Matthew Mott will keep in his job. Jos Buttler, too, will wrestle to stay in workplace after a show that made a mockery of the small fortune England have spent on their huge backroom entourage.
A lot has been manufactured from the momentary signing of Kieron Pollard, the Barbadian former West Indies captain whose native information has change into the newest crutch for Mott and Buttler to lean on.
You didn’t must be born in Bridgetown to know which method the wind was blowing, but England repeatedly invited Australia’s massive hitters to make the most of the smaller boundary. The upshot was 13 sixes, 10 of them wind-assisted, in a complete of 201 for seven, the very best of the World Cup.
Regardless of a gap stand of 73 in seven overs between Buttler and Phil Salt, who each fell to Adam Zampa’s leg-spin, Australia bowled with way more nous and ability to restrict England’s six tally to eight, of which three had been hit in a single over by Moeen Ali off Glenn Maxwell.
Will Jacks by no means bought going, and the second half of England’s innings was a painful watch. Jonny Bairstow, sluggish within the area, scratched round for seven off 13 balls, and Ben Duckett should come into competition for Thursday’s sport in opposition to Oman, not least as a result of England are quick on left-handers.
The aggressive pressure had drained from the event lengthy earlier than Moeen sliced Pat Cummins to cowl. Australia can barely have celebrated victory over the previous enemy with as little gusto.
‘We had been outplayed,’ stated Buttler. ‘They absolutely deserved their win in the present day. There are some things we have to tidy up. We’ve bought to be assured, maintain our heads up, and puff our chests out.’ And the remainder.
England had bought off to a deceptively tidy begin with the ball after Buttler gained the toss, as Moeen – turning his off-breaks throughout left-handers Travis Head and David Warner – conceded simply three from the primary over.
However, not for the primary time, the workforce thinktank out-thought itself. As a substitute of hitting Australia with off-spin at one finish and uncooked tempo on the different, Buttler threw the ball to Jacks, who had despatched down solely two overs in 14 earlier T20 internationals.
Worse, his crazy off-breaks begged to be hit with the wind to the shorter of the sq. boundaries. Head duly mowed his first two balls for six, Warner added one other, and the over price 22. It might be the final Jacks bowls all match, and adjusted the sport’s momentum straight away.
And if both of the off-spinners was going to bowl on the trickier finish, certainly it needed to be the vastly extra skilled Moeen? Buttler described the choice to bowl Jacks as a ‘intestine really feel’.
Jofra Archer restored some calm with an over costing eight, earlier than Warner – in probably his remaining stoush with England earlier than worldwide retirement – helped Mark Wooden’s first two balls into and over the Greenidge & Haynes Stand.
The Bajan dialect may be misplaced on international ears, however England’s physique language wanted no interpretation: fingers on hips, heads bowed, they regarded something however defending champions.
By the point Warner was bowled for a 16-ball 39 by Moeen, Australia had an eye-watering 70 inside 5 overs. It was all fairly Dying in Paradise.
The floor already regarded as if it would reward cutters and slower balls, which queried the continued omission of Reece Topley. And when a pumped-up Archer learn the room, taking tempo off to bowl Head for 34 off 18 and selecting up his first wicket on his house floor, England had briefly stemmed the move.
However Buttler’s aspect by no means shook off the sense that they had been enjoying catch-up with their very own expectations. Apart from Archer and the underused Liam Livingstone, who had Mitchell Marsh stumped on the second try by Buttler for 35, the assault regarded distinctly hittable.
Two wickets for Chris Jordan made him the second bowler, behind Adil Rashid, to gather 100 in T20 internationals, and cheered a good crowd through which the locals had been barracking for England – swayed, little question, by the presence of the Barbados-born Jordan and Archer.
But England had by no means chased greater than 158 to beat Australia, and stay a workforce low on confidence and excessive on nervous pressure after the fiasco of their 50-over title defence in India.
They might nonetheless emerge from the group stage, and embark on an unlikely path to glory. However they should flip issues spherical shortly, and hope that Scotland – who play Oman in the present day – keep inside attain. If there was a extra determined blueprint to win a World Cup, it was onerous to consider any final night time in Bridgetown.
