England’s Decisions Throughout Their Devastating Defeat To South Africa Go Way Beyond ‘Odd’

There was nothing dignified about England’s pasting in Mumbai.

Even if it could have been worse, it was pretty bad. From Reece Topley, who threw a chair at him while running back to the dressing room with a broken finger, and from Reece Topley, who throws God knows what will happen to the rationally reinforced dressing room window. , to Adil Rashid, who felt unwell after having to bowl 10 overs in between. It’s a kind of penance for being England’s most irreplaceable player.

Things were made worse as Jos Buttler chose to bowl first in the hottest conditions of the tournament so far, leaving little to no room for his bowling attack. Perhaps the dew convinced him. Perhaps it was because Wankhede was a “good hunting ground”, as he said in the pitch. A quick look at the data shows that of his last 23 ODIs played at the ground, 12 were won by the team that performed first. No matter what statistics Butler saw or felt, he would have been better off looking at the hard facts in front of him.

England last won an ODI in March 2021. Their batting lineup has needed minimal pressure to fall apart in previous tournaments. With a spinner sick in the sweltering heat and two very weak seamers, the other two played their first World Cup without having a bad day. South Africa took the lead both times in this tournament, scoring over 300 points. It’s a pre-emptive strike, Joss.

When Topley left, warning sirens were already blaring. When Leeza Hendricks decided it was time to go for Root, knowing that England were facing a replacement for Dawid Malan or Harry Brook and South Africa were already 140-2, those sirens were a dead giveaway. It reached the point of shouting. Buttler could have relied on a rotational all-rounder with a save percentage below his five in the tournament so far.

The fact that they managed to bounce back towards a somewhat manageable target with 15 overs remaining is remarkable in itself. But while Heinrich Claassen’s innings deserves all the credit, England’s decision-making and execution also deserve some credit.

It’s time for the world’s best innings finishers to take to the crease ahead of the 10-over bash and proceed to Descon 1. To be clear, Desconone is not bringing back a left-arm medium-pace bowler who spent an hour with a gang of stray dogs in Mumbai and had a ball that seemed barely able to move due to spasms. The eight-ball he bowled on his way back included a waist-high no-ball that sent him for a six.

Atkinson recorded some overs on the bench, but was not very expensive overall at the start of the innings. He had never played this role alongside Willie and Topley in his three previous ODI appearances, but with his taped fingers giving him little control, he was a reliable choice for Buttler. It was the best choice.

Still, to aim for 400 points, there must be a player with 10 first-class 100 points in eighth place, just below the player who limped off the field with a cramp two minutes ago. It’s really necessary. In the end, England’s day and the decisions they made were best summed up by Nasser Hussain shortly after the sixth wicket fell. “It was a very strange day for England, a very strange day.” I was glad he was friendly.

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