Former England captain Michael Vaughan added that the ECB has ignored the one-day cricket following their 2019 World Cup win, citing their struggles in the ongoing edition. He also added that England’s key players have hardly played ODI cricket together since 2019, which has affected their ability to assess combinations as well. His comments came after England’s defeat at the hands of South Africa which left them on the brink of an early World Cup exit as well.

In his column for The Telegraph, the veteran wrote: “After their thrashing by South Africa, England may not be officially out of this World Cup, but it’s almost impossible to see them making the semi-finals.”I think all of us in the English game, from the team itself to the media and fans, have to admit that we have been complacent with this 50-over team.”

Vaughan further shared: “From 2015 to 2019, England focused on ODI cricket and cared about it. They played 88 games between World Cups. They won 54 and lost 23. They used 34 players, six of whom played 70-plus games, seven more played 40-plus.”So they found a style and players, then backed it, getting their combinations grooved. This World Cup cycle has been very different. They have played 42 ODIs, winning 22 and losing 16. They have used 44 players, and only four of those have played more than 25 games.”

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However, England were impressive before the World Cup as they registered a series of wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand. But England have struggled not just with the bat and ball, but also in choosing their combinations as well. Michael Vaughan then slammed the absence of quality batters and bowlers for the conditions and cited that players haven’t played together for a long time also.

“In India, you need really high-class quick bowling, with skill not just pace. Anything wayward gets dispatched. You need more than one spinner. You need two or three to provide moments of magic. And with the bat, you need solid all-round players working in combination. England do not have that. England have arrived not knowing what their approach is because they have not played together for so long. Too many players have not played well for a long time, because their involvement has been stop-start,” he said.

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Vaughan also lashed out at England for their lack of stability in batting and using players out of their positions as well. England’s next match in the ODI World Cup 2023 is against Sri Lanka on October 26 in Bengaluru as well.

“Jos Buttler is one of them. I am watching thinking there is no substance to any of the partnerships, with bat or ball. How has it got to the stage that four games into a World Cup, England have used every player and have David Willey batting No 7? At their best, he would have been at 9 or 10 in a side that batted all the way down,” Michael Vaughan concluded.