[Cricket World Cup 2023] England Is A Mediocre Team In ODI Cricket: Virender Sehwag

Jos Buttler’s England team stand on the brink of being eliminated from the semi-final race in the Cricket World Cup 2023 – barring a miracle, England, who have only 2 points in 5 games, will take flight to home after the round-robin group stage of the Cricket World Cup 2023, and will not be able to defend their ODI champions crown.

In the Cricket World Cup 2023, other than a win against Bangladesh, England have suffered losses – by significant margins – to New Zealand, Afghanistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka. Perhaps the worst of them all came against Sri Lanka where on a good batting surface at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, England were bowled out for only 156, Sri Lanka chasing down the target with 8 wickets in hand and inside 26 overs.

Among the incessant trolling that England has been receiving, former India batsman Virender Sehwag even went on to label the England ODI side as “mediocre”, pointing out that apart from the 2019 World Cup on their home turf, England have not qualified for the semis in 7 out of last 8 editions of the ODI World Cup.

Sehwag reasoned that England’s poor performance in this tournament came from constant changes, and also from their own belief that they have an “exciting” ODI side.

Sehwag tweeted: “England in 50 over one day international cricket has been a very mediocre side. Apart from the 2019 World cup at Home, in the last 8 attempts they have failed to make the semis 7 times. Not having a steady side and too much chopping & changing and wrongly thinking that they are as exciting in ODI’s as they are in Tests cost them.”

Cricket World Cup 2023: Nasser Hussain slams “lame excuses” of England fans and media

Former England captain and now commentator Nasser Hussain has slammed the “lame excuses” given by English fans and media for the team’s poor performance in the Cricket World Cup 2023. Some of the narrative on social media is that England doesn’t have a good List-A structure and that the players hadn’t played much ODI cricket entering the tournament in India.

Hussain said: “We play 20 over cricket, we play 100 ball cricket, we don’t play enough 50 over cricket. How much 50 over cricket domestically has Virat Kohli played? Or Heinrich Klaasen? Or anyone out here. They don’t play domestic. They learn from T20 franchises around the world. That’s what has made this great side over the last 6 years, travelling around the world playing T20 franchises. It’s such a lame excuse.”

England face India for their next Cricket World Cup 2023 match in Lucknow this Sunday.