England’s ICC ODI World Cup title-defense could be all but over after its eight-wicket loss against Sri Lanka, which leaves the side languishing at the bottom half of the table with just a solitary win in five games.
“Yeah, obviously. (The loss is) incredibly disappointing, incredibly frustrating. Yeah, like you say, we’re not just losing, we’re losing by a long way and playing a long way short of our best. So, absolutely, huge disappointment.” said England skipper Jos Butler after his side slumped to a third consecutive loss in the tournament.
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Butler and his men have come to terms with a group stage exit. “It certainly looks that way and that’s incredibly disappointing. You get on the plane to come to India and we’re in a really good position as a team. Everything looking like it’s going to plan and it’s just not worked at all.” he said.
This might be the most unpredictable version of the quadrennial showpiece since its inception, with an array of shocking results. Butler feels England’s form in the tournament is also one of those surprises.
“We’re a really good team, done a lot of really good things in the recent past in white ball cricket, 50-over cricket. As I said - get on the plane with high hopes and a lot of confidence and belief that we can challenge for the title. So, to be sat here now with the three weeks that I’ve been is a shock. It’s a shock to everyone,” said the 33-year-old.
“I’ll walk back in the dressing room after this and look at the players sat there and think how we found ourselves in this position with the talent and the skill that’s in the room. But it is the position we’re in, it’s the reality of what’s happened over the last three weeks and that’s a huge low point.” he added.
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