Former England captain Nasser Hussain has expressed his concern over England’s white-ball cricket, saying that the team has not been playing at the level it did under Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss. His comments came after England’s recent woes in India, where they lost the T20I series 4-1 and were handed a four-wicket defeat in the first ODI, which is now 1-0 down in the three-match series.
England’s Fight Against India
England’s form has been of concern, particularly in playing against spin. England did reasonably well in the first ODI against India, but they just could not stay on track as poor decision-making mixed with quality Indian spin attack by Ravindra Jadeja made it a challenging task.
While discussing the trend, Hussain said that it was very much visible in the T20I series too where England was struggling against spin and getting many wickets at crucial phases of the game. He also appreciated the depth of the India squad, who even in the absence of Virat Kohli had highly skilled backup players such as Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Regarding the bowling issue of England, it was seen while facing issues with shot selection.
According to Hussain, this is not the issue of getting out to too much turn but failing to read and pick spin effectively. He pointed out that Harry Brook particularly failed against the spin bowling, the player getting dismissed frequently.
He also added that England’s attacking strategy has not always been well-timed. Joe Root was added to the team for stability, but he could not play a long innings in the first ODI. Hussain remembered Eoin Morgan’s philosophy of attacking throughout a 50-over game, but he added that England need to find the right balance between attack and defense.
Lack of 50-Over Cricket Experience
According to Hussain, one of the key reasons why England are struggling is that the team doesn’t have much experience in 50 overs. Since winning the World Cup in 2019, England have played fewer ODIs; their domestic cricket system does not focus much on the 50-over format.
With limited exposure to 50-over matches, England’s players are still figuring out how to pace their innings properly. Hussain suggested that the team needs to find the right tempo—knowing when to attack and when to consolidate—to be successful in this format.
Crucial Matches Ahead for England
Now England face a do-or-die situation in the ODI series against India with the remaining two matches to be played in Cuttack and Ahmedabad. A series defeat would be yet another setback before the Champions Trophy, which begins from February 19 to March 9.
The team of England is competing in Group B of the Champions Trophy against eight teams:
Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa. This group will not help them quickly strengthen their weak spots to become strong contenders for the tournament.
Hussain’s assessment sums up the issues that England’s white-ball team is currently going through. Be it struggling against spin or finding the right balance in batting, there are quite a few areas that need improvement. With important matches coming up, England needs to adapt quickly if they are to reclaim their dominance in white-ball cricket.
