ICC World Cup 2023: England’s title defence unravels amid contentious selection calls, ageing squad and lack of game time

England’s World Cup campaign has seen a flip-flop in team selection, oscillating between a preference for specialists and a clutch of all-rounders.

Down and out: Stokes’ dismissal in Lucknow against India was a microcosm of all the problems Jos Buttler’s men faced in this World Cup. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

The colour drained from Ben Stokes’ face; he looked spooked, as if he had just seen a ghost. Having been clean bowled while trying to play a clumsy, inexplicable swipe to Mohammed Shami, Stokes’ exit triggered a dramatic collapse. Chasing 230 on a tacky pitch, England was bowled out for 129 — the first time it lost five times at a World Cup. Five days later, it was knocked out of the tournament with a defeat against Ashes rival Australia in Ahmedabad — eliminated before Netherlands and Afghanistan - and had to make do with the sole consolation of qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy following its win over Pakistan in Kolkata.

Cricket, in many ways, is an individual sport within a team game. Stokes’ dismissal in Lucknow against India was a microcosm of all the problems Jos Buttler’s men faced in this World Cup: shot selection, absorbing pressure, and curious selection calls. This England team, once unplayable because of its unbridled pace, has morphed into a side now playing the percentages. The optimism that surrounded the build-up has long since dissipated, and England finds itself at the beginning of what could well be an “ODI reset 2.0”.

It marks the end of a period of churn behind the scenes as well. During the ongoing competition, Test captain Stokes declined a three-year central contract in favour of just one year. What does it say about the scarcity of alternatives that the call went out to a man who had retired from ODIs in July last year, citing the unsustainability of playing all three formats? Additionally, David Willey, the only member of England’s World Cup squad not to get a central contract, announced his international retirement.

The short-term reasons for the former champion’s decline are various, but its premature exit shouldn’t come as a surprise. England, after all, played only 42 One-Day Internationals in the build-up to the 2023 World Cup, compared to 88 in the run-up to the 2019 edition. The fact that the One-Day Cup in England — English cricket’s domestic 50-over competition — takes place at the same time as The Hundred further compounds the challenges, with star batter Harry Brook even acknowledging that he was trying to “learn and figure out the format” in the World Cup.

Not to forget the Buttler-led side has also had to contend with a significantly ageing squad, with an average age of 31-plus.

As of November 7, 2023, all-rounder Moeen Ali is the oldest member, at 36 years and 141 days, while Brook is the youngest, aged 24 years, 257 days. Given the star appeal of many of its players and an increasing familiarity with the Indian audiences due to IPL exploits, England, along with India, is one of only two sides which had to travel after every group-stage match to cater to eyeballs in all host cities, barring Hyderabad.

Time for introspection: This England team, once unplayable because of its unbridled pace, has morphed into a side now playing the percentages. | Photo Credit: AP

England’s World Cup campaign has also seen a flip-flop in team selection, oscillating between a preference for specialists and a clutch of all-rounders. Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, and Liam Livingstone, who played the first match against New Zealand, were all benched for the fourth game against South Africa. While Woakes and Livingstone returned later, Curran remained on the sidelines. Stokes, who has been struggling with a knee injury for the past 18 months, has played in this World Cup as a specialist batter with limited success. He bats at No. 4, where Buttler averages 68 in ODIs. Yet, he has only batted there in 14 games. Also, England’s reluctance to reinstate Brook, its best young batter — he has missed three on the trot — into a wobbly top six, has been borderline foolhardy.

A significant factor in England’s success under former captain Eoin Morgan was its fearless approach against the new ball. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, at their peak, were intimidating openers, often unsettling new-ball bowlers. However, in the current World Cup, the performance of the top order has been rather ordinary. Only Bangladesh has lost more than England’s 15 wickets in the 10-over PowerPlay — while scoring at only 5.25 an over. Roy’s absence from the squad has impacted Bairstow, too, who now must be the aggressor given Dawid Malan’s more circumspect style up top. Additionally, Bairstow and Malan had only opened together twice before this World Cup.

The winds of change are blowing through English cricket. Buttler, at 33, is unlikely to make the 2027 World Cup in South Africa and could well consider stepping down as captain in 50-over cricket. Several 2019 World Cup winners like Bairstow, Mark Wood, Woakes, Moeen, Adil Rashid and Stokes may retire down the line.

In that sense, when Stokes screamed “oh no” after gifting a catch to short fine-leg on 64 against Australia, it did feel symbolic, like getting sucked into a vortex of despair, marking the end of one era and the need for another to begin. There’s an aching beauty in decline that adds joyful intrigue to resurrection. As Moeen said, “Everything good comes to an end. Maybe the writing was on the wall, and we just didn’t see it as players because we thought we’d be performing well. I think if I was in charge, I’d play the younger guys [after this tournament]. I’d just start again and I’m sure they’re going to do that.”