(ECB Credit)
Michael Vaughan, the former England skipper, has expressed grave concerns about the current state of the England cricket team in white-ball cricket, particularly in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Vaughan has voiced his apprehension that the team is currently experiencing its lowest phase and could potentially undergo a significant overhaul post the tournament if corrective measures are not promptly taken.
Under the leadership of Jos Buttler, England finds itself in Group B of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, facing formidable competition from teams such as Australia, Scotland, Namibia, and Oman in their quest to advance to the Super 8 round. The team’s journey in the tournament has been marked by adversity, with their opening match against Scotland being abandoned due to inclement weather and a subsequent defeat to Australia by a margin of 36 runs, failing to chase down a target of 202 runs.
Of particular concern has been the underperformance of England’s bowling unit in both matches of the T20 World Cup 2024. In the rain-affected clash against Scotland, English bowlers conceded a whopping 90 runs without taking a wicket in the first ten overs of the match. Subsequently, in their encounter against Australia, the bowling attack struggled once again as they allowed the opposition to amass a formidable total of 201 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Michael Vaughan said England is coming to an end and will go through a transition post-T20 WC
In a recent article penned for The Telegraph, Michael Vaughan, a former all-rounder for the England cricket team, offered his prognostication on England’s trajectory post the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Vaughan reflected on England’s previous stature as the premier white-ball team, particularly under the leadership of Eoin Morgan, three years prior. However, Vaughan foresaw a shift in fortunes for the team following the culmination of the tournament, suggesting that their era of dominance would come to a close, ushering in a period of transition and evolution for English cricket.
“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. Three years ago England were the best white-ball team in the world and everyone else was trying to copy them”, he wrote.
“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,” the 45-year-old further wrote.
Delving deeper into England’s struggles at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Michael Vaughan highlighted a recurring pattern of errors plaguing the team, particularly in their decision-making regarding squad selections and strategic approaches. Vaughan emphasized that these mistakes have been persistently repeated throughout the tournament, exacerbating England’s challenges on the field.
“We should not be surprised that England are in this mess. The team has been in decline for a while and is making the same mistakes all over again in selection and tactics. From the outside, it seems to me the players are too powerful. It is all lovely and nice in the setup but I have never seen lovely and nice win World Cups,” the 49-year-old said.
It’s worth noting that England holds the title of defending champions in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Led by Jos Buttler, the team clinched victory in the previous edition of the tournament held in Australia back in 2022. Now, all eyes are on their performance in the current installment of the T20 World Cup.
While England celebrated a triumphant win in the ODI World Cup 2019, their fortunes took a downturn in the subsequent 2023 World Cup. In that tournament, they disappointingly landed in the 7th position on the points table among the 10 competing teams.
