Former England captain Nasser Hussain has sounded the alarm on England’s white-ball form, which he feels has deteriorated from the best period of Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss. The two had plotted England’s rise as a powerhouse in limited-overs cricket, and the fruits of their labour culminated in that historic 2019 ODI World Cup win.
However, the team, led by Jos Buttler, has failed to emulate that level of success in recent games against India. England lost again by four wickets in the first ODI, after suffering a 4-1 defeat in the T20I series. Now trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, they must win the remaining two encounters in Cuttack and Ahmedabad to salvage some pride before heading into the Champions Trophy, where they are grouped with Afghanistan, Australia, and South Africa.
Nasser Hussain also highlighted a pattern in England’s losses, especially against spin bowling. “It’s been a recurring theme, even in the T20s. England have had moments where they were in control, only to throw it away with clumsy mistakes—like Phil Salt’s run-out in the first ODI. Then spin comes on, and someone like Ravindra Jadeja just strangles them. That’s where they’ve fallen short,” he said on Sky Sports.
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He also talked about the depth of Indian cricket, praising the impact of young talents like Abhishek Sharma in the T20s and Shubman Gill’s return to the side. “India’s white-ball cricket is incredibly strong. They reached the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad and won the T20 World Cup. And the depth they have is remarkable—someone like Abhishek Sharma comes in and immediately makes an impact.”
Even without Virat Kohli, their side looks formidable,” Nasser Hussain said. One of the biggest problems that England faces, says Hussain, is the way they play spin in the 50-over game. “It’s not like they’re getting out to big turners, like in a Test match in Mumbai. It’s more about not picking the variations well enough. Harry Brook, for example, has really struggled. The question always comes up—are England being too aggressive?”
He reflects on Eoin Morgan’s philosophy of relentless aggression in white-ball cricket.
He added, “Morgan always believed 50 overs wasn’t a long time—just go hard from ball one and see where you end up. Maybe that’s what McCullum means when he talks about taking some pain to figure out the right balance.”
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It has been a little bit challenging for England as they have not had much experience in the 50-over format. “They haven’t played much 50-over cricket since the last World Cup, either internationally or domestically. It’s about understanding the tempo—when to attack and when to consolidate. That’s something they need to figure out quickly,” Hussain concluded.
