England’s ODI cricket: After a third-straight collection defeat within the West Indies, how do England repair their 50-over cricket? | Cricket Information

What goes unsuitable with England’s ODI facet and the way can they flip issues round?

Wednesday’s eight-wicket hammering by the hands of the West Indies in Barbados consigned England to a 3rd consecutive ODI collection defeat and after a thirteenth loss of their final 20 video games inclusive of the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

It is all a far cry from the workforce that topped the world rankings on their approach to a primary 50-over World Cup victory on house soil 4 years prior.

With Check head coach Brendon McCullum to take over each white-ball roles from January, what would he have learnt from England’s newest 50-over hiccup – and what wants fixing?

Choose your greatest workforce!

This sounds easy sufficient, however since that 2019 World Cup win, England have hardly ever put out a full-strength facet within the 50-over format, the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer repeatedly absent for, of their circumstances, relaxation, retirement (albeit briefly) and repeated accidents.

After England’s debacle of a World Cup defence during which they beat solely Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Pakistan amid six different heavy defeats, managing director of the boys’s workforce Rob Key mentioned: “Each single time the choice has been made for whether or not or not we give attention to 50-over cricket, Check cricket or T20, I’ve at all times chosen Check cricket.

“I made the mistake of thinking that actually it will be alright when we get there and that’s not been the case. You sort of made the assumption that, without playing lots of 50-over cricket, actually this is such a good team that will just slip into old habits and away we go.”

Of the 62 ODIs England have performed since their 2019 World Cup win, their greatest batter Root has performed in solely 28 of them, Stokes even fewer at 19, with their participation on Check excursions – resembling those of Pakistan and New Zealand that bookend this West Indies collection – prioritised amid an more and more jam-packed schedule.

After which, even among the many squad that’s chosen, England’s decision-making is usually curious. As John Turner and Saqib Mahmood made means for Reece Topley and Jamie Overton within the series-deciding third ODI in Barbados, former captain Sir Alastair Cook dinner mentioned on TNT Sports activities: “I’m slightly surprise by the changes.

“Let’s take Mahmood, for instance. He was disregarded for the primary recreation, is available in for the second, does okay, bowls fairly properly however is then out for the third.

“We see with the Test team, they’re backing players all the time. The one-day team seems to be changing every game. I’m not quite sure what they think is their best team. For me, it’s a little bit confusing.”

Too many all-rounders and debuts dished out

Sticking with England’s choice struggles, Stokes’ absence leaves them with the problem of balancing the workforce, as did the injury-enforced absence right here of captain Jos Buttler – who is predicted to return for the five-match T20 collection, albeit not as wicketkeeper.

Stand-in skipper Liam Livingstone was shunted as much as No 5 in consequence and, magnificent although his maiden ODI century within the second ODI was, solely twice in his 30 ODIs previous to this collection had he been that top within the order… the final such occasion coming means again when in opposition to the Netherlands in the summertime of 2022.

Sam Curran too was in unfamiliar territory, batting not less than one place too excessive when slotted in at No 6 for the primary time in his 35-cap ODI profession, whereas Jordan Cox debuted at No 3, a place he has by no means performed at home Checklist A stage, placing his underwhelming return of twenty-two runs by means of the three-match collection in some kind of context.

Curran was additionally used sparingly with the ball, bowling eight wicketless overs throughout the three matches. And on condition that Livingstone used as many as NINE totally different bowlers through the West Indies innings within the second ODI, do England want fairly so many all-rounders of their facet and will a couple of extra specialists be chosen – with bat and ball?

Jamie Overton is one other. Having not bowled in any respect within the first ODI and batting at No 8, his ODI debut was restricted to a one-ball duck, earlier than he not less than despatched down 4 overs and supplied a useful lower-order cameo of 32 on his return to the facet within the collection decider.

And that is one other factor: debuts. England have dished out 25 debut caps since their 2019 World Cup triumph – 4 on this tour alone – however solely 5 have since surpassed double figures by way of appearances (Livingstone, Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Will Jacks and Brydon Carse). The likes of Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson additionally look to have brilliant futures, although their Check success will now restrict their white-ball involvement considerably.

It is too early to inform with Cox, Overton is a menace with bat and ball when match, Turner bowled properly and with tempo within the second ODI, whereas Dan Mousley’s maiden fifty in Barbados hinted at a brilliant future. However the pathway for all of them must be clear, in order that they don’t seem to be quickly consigned to the scrap heap a la Tom Banton, Sam Hain and George Scrimshaw earlier than them.

The challenges of the ever-crowded cricket schedule

A big motive behind the swathe of England ODI debutants during the last 5 years has been the more and more congested worldwide schedule – not precisely aided by the Covid pandemic in 2020.

The requirement at the moment for separate squad bubbles between Check and white-ball groups necessitated a bigger participant pool to select from, whereas it additionally allowed for ODI and T20 collection to be performed nearly concurrently to Check matches.

Whereas we do not have the identical set of circumstances 4 years on, the hole between Check and white-ball excursions is ever shrinking, with there being simply three days separating the scheduled finish of England’s tour of Pakistan and the West indies, whereas their subsequent Check collection in New Zealand begins 11 days after the ultimate T20 in St Lucia.

“How we get the balance right is really challenging because the volume of international cricket and everything else that goes around it, that’s not easy to do,” interim head coach Marcus Trescothick informed TNT Sports activities after the collection loss to the West Indies.

“Guys have just finished the Test series in Pakistan. There is another Test series starting in 20 days’ time.”

“For the powers above to try and balance that structure and get that right, it’s something for them to look at but it’s not going to be easy.”

And that is exactly why England can so hardly ever choose their strongest facet. Although the crammed calendar shouldn’t be a novel downside to them, different groups have a tendency to profit from durations of relaxation not less than through the English summer season (except touring there themselves), as cricket within the Caribbean, Africa, the sub-continent and the southern hemisphere is often favoured for the winter months – a time the place England too are busy touring these locations, making their schedule uniquely year-round.

that problem by means of a extra constructive lens, Trescothick added: “We look at the opportunity to get a few games into them [players with less experience], so we can see these guys that may potentially impact the team in the future.

“It’s good to see them taking part in underneath strain and in opposition to an excellent West Indies workforce.”

That is true, however the schedule has already acquired its claws into the fledgling careers of the likes of Jacob Bethell, Cox and Mousley too, with the IPL and the introduction of The Hundred pushing county cricket more and more to the margins of the summer season – notably the home 50-over competitors which clashes with The Hundred.

It implies that England’s subsequent technology of 50-over skills even have little or no expertise of the format itself.

Curran quipped that when Mousley joined him within the center with 15 overs to go in England’s innings within the first ODI that the debutant “almost admitted himself he hadn’t actually played loads of 50-over cricket… guys are learning.”

Taking the positives!

Given Mousley’s restricted expertise – the 23-year-old having performed solely three Checklist A video games previous to this tour and none in three years – his maiden fifty to assist rescue England from 94-5 and in direction of 263 within the remaining ODI was vastly encouraging.

As was Livingstone’s magnificent, unbeaten 124 – off simply 85 balls – to win the second ODI, and the truth that Archer, although not at his greatest through the collection, got here by means of three matches in row for the primary time in a collection since his reintroduction to the workforce this 12 months after a persistent elbow damage.

Salt ended the collection with back-to-back fifties to see him peaking simply in time for the five-match T20 collection, historically his favorite format, whereas 21-year-old Bethell once more flashed his appreciable expertise in scoring 55 within the second ODI.

We have not seen the abilities but of 22-year-old Yorkshire leg-spinner Jafer Chohan on this tour, however may very well be set to within the T20s, together with Essex wicketkeeper-batter Michael Pepper, whereas the return of Buttler – each as captain and together with his appreciable batting brilliance – is an enormous bonus.

A T20 collection win to complete the tour would not resolve England’s 50-over failings however it might actually make this younger group really feel higher about issues – the identical squad of 17 chosen, barring Buttler’s inclusion instead of the New Zealand-bound Cox.

Plus, there’s McCullum’s arrival on the horizon and the promise of Bazball-style bounce that so aided the Check workforce.

England had received just one Check of their earlier 17 previous to his appointment as head coach in the summertime of 2022, a disaster of such epic proportions that this present ODI blip of theirs would barely even register.

Underneath McCullum since, the Check workforce proudly boast 20 wins, 11 defeats and a solitary draw, with 11 of these victories coming in his first 13 matches in cost earlier than outcomes have begun to fluctuate a contact extra for the reason that 2023 Ashes.

There could be no doubting the rapid and profound impacts he has had on the group and this younger, gifted white-ball facet are ripe to reap the identical rewards.

West Indies vs England schedule (all instances UK and Eire)