England have been eliminated from the World Cup following a defeat in a match they were expected to win, due to a one-off innings which took everyone by surprise. Sound familiar? This is because it describes two incidents involving England which occurred almost exactly a year separated: on Wednesday, their ODI World Cup semi-final loss at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their defeat in a must-win group stage match against West Indies in the 20-over version.
What Happened Next
In the interim, there was a whitewash in the Ashes and a post-series review which was intended to overhaul the system. Did it? Time to delve a little more deeply into those two World Cup eliminations. In 2024, England collapsed, missed multiple opportunities, and allowed a aggressive batting display from Qiana Joseph to seal the match. In the latest match, a player with beautiful technique and temperament – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – showed why she is among the elite in cricket. She offered up precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England held on to it. The trouble was, she had accumulated 169 runs by that point.
‘It’s painful’: The coach turns to next generation after England’s World Cup defeat.
It probably won’t bring the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much consolation as she returns from her first World Cup as manager – she is a performance-focused leader, and a loss is a loss. But she has initiated positive changes. From the low point of multiple fielding errors in a single day of Test cricket in Melbourne, six months later England held on to more chances this World Cup than any other team. That is something.
England’s Innings Struggles
The problem was what came after Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room truly confident they were able to reach a total of more than 300? Undoubtedly no one outside it did. England’s collapse to 0/2 and 1/3 provoked a reaction not of horror but of weary inevitability.
“We do need to improve our batting – I don’t think it’s been reliable at times,” Edwards said after the match. Therein lies the concern. There have been eight totals of more than 300 in this tournament: three of them were hit by Australia, three by India, and two by South Africa. This is now standard in women’s ODI cricket: in order to rival the world’s best, England need a batting lineup which can confidently expect to surpass 300 runs. But when only Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a history of regularly making meaningful runs, well, the numbers speak for themselves.
Collaborative Innings
Capsey’s century stand with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final had some value – Capsey showed that she can bat sensibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was never going to be enough to win the game. Compare and contrast with South Africa, who were able to score 117 runs from their last 10 overs, surpassing the 300-run mark, because Wolvaardt had confidence in the batters coming in below her and felt she had enough freedom to hit out. “Knowing what we still had in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she explained to Sky Sports.
Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the only England batters to deliver regularly during the tournament.
Coaching Dilemmas
When Edwards was appointed in April, her challenge was whether to stick or twist: she chose to allow an veteran team who had bombed in the Ashes one last shot at World Cup glory. This proved incorrect. England return home with the least favorable outcome: without a trophy, and with little basis on which to rebuild over the next four years. The majority of the top order from the semi-final are probably not featuring in another 50-over World Cup.
A change of approach is now imminent, as Edwards herself signalled. “This is the end of an ODI cycle,” she said. “We’ve got to look at the future now.”
Upcoming Talent
Better late than never: time to look seriously at the young left-hander Grace Scrivens, the young wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
The nagging worry is that it might be overdue: England’s most recent set of central contracts were signed, sealed and delivered on 1 October. The governing body has not yet published a full list of retained athletes, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the current World Cup squad are the primary recipients.
Moving Forward
Stagnation and complacency were the dual enemies on which the Ashes sweep was built – it’s crucial for Edwards to signal that she is committed to preventing their return.
