England team in a mess in T20 World Cup 2024, not surprised: Michael Vaughan
Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan minced no words as he criticised the national team for their performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Vaughan pointed out the England team’s decline in the white-ball format and how there has been a lack of leadership in the ongoing marquee tournament. The defending champions and winners of ICC T20 World Cup 2022 began than title defence on a poor note. With no single win in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far, England would look to give their everything in the next encounters against Namibia and Oman in Group B.
Vaughan called out the Jos Buttler-led side for their laid back approach so far in the tournament. He felt that the England team had been making the same mistakes repeatedly which had led to their downfall.
“We should not be surprised that England are in this mess. It has been far too cosy for too long in the white-ball set up. The team has been in decline for a while and is making the same mistakes all over again in selection and tactics. Looking from the outside, it seems to me the players are too powerful. It is all lovely and nice in the set-up, but I have never seen lovely and nice win World Cups,” Vaughan wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
England’s poor show in recent times
England put up a poor show against Scotland as they raced away for 90 runs in the first 10 overs. The game had ended in a washout as the 2 teams received a point each in Barbados on June 4. At the same venue, England face Australia and lost the match by 36 runs as they failed to chase down the target of 202 runs.
Vaughan recalled Eoin Morgan’s captaincy for the England team when they won their first-ever ODI World Cup in 2019. The former cricketer felt that Morgan’s leadership was something to follow and inspired by.
“In 2019 England won the World Cup playing fearless cricket but Eoin Morgan ran that team with an iron fist. Players knew where they stood and were wary of crossing him,” Vaughan added.
The England team had a disastrous ODI World Cup 2023 as they could not reach the knockout stage of the tournament.
Big changes on cards?
Vaughan also gave a wake-up call that the current team might undergo plenty of changes after the World Cup ends.
“Three years ago England were the best white-ball team in the world and everyone else was trying to copy them. But you can’t sit still in sport and England did that. Other teams copied them but brought more skill and discipline to their cricket. England have to be very careful. This team is clearly coming to the end and they will go through transition after this World Cup,” Vaughan said.
England have made their advancement into the Super 8 stage really tricky. Scotland topped the charts in Group B with 2 wins in 3 matches. Australia stand at the 2nd spot with 2 wins on the trot, followed by England and then Oman who have been eliminated.