England need to make changes to rescue World Cup dream

England
Jos Buttler

England’s cricket World Cup dream couldn’t have really got off to a worse start.

They lost to New Zealand in their opening game, bounced back with victory against Bangladesh before suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Afghanistan. Their World Cup dream is slipping away, and the only way to rescue it will be to make the right changes.

Before we fully break it down, it’s worth noting that it’s not all strictly doom and gloom. For example, Ben Stokes is back fit, and cricket betting markets online will confirm that when he plays, England stand a good chance of overcoming any adversity that comes their way. And you could argue history shows that making changes does generally lead to good things happening for World Cup winners.

In 2011, India decided to lengthen the batting order with Suresh Raina, and he went on to hit thirties in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, which helped them on their way to success. James Faulkner was brought in by Australia in 2015, and he was then named the player of the match in the final, while Liam Plunkett replaced Moeen Ali for England in 2019, and he was crucial in the must-win games for the Three Lions.

So, England don’t have to look too hard to find evidence that making changes will be the way to go if they want to rescue their World Cup dream, starting against South Africa, who are next up. 2019 shows that making the right changes at the right time can not only yield positive results, but the sort of results that can be World Cup winning.

Matthew Mott has already suggested changes are afoot and that the Three Lions won’t be afraid to make them. But the white ball coach also insisted that it’s more about making subtle tweaks than wholesale changes, “We’ll always look to make subtle changes, but I can guarantee you now there won’t be any wholesale changes with the team,” he said. “I’m not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater after a couple of bad performances,” he added.

Stokes returning is a change that looks destined to happen, and it’s not just his influence as a player but his mentality and how he leads the team. He’s the player who can rally the troops and deliver inspirational speeches that could give England a much-needed confidence boost after their two disappointing defeats and performances out of the three.

But it’s also possible that a bowler such as Sam Curran could be dropped, which could represent a deviation from the usual balance the Three Lions favour, but it’s a case of needs must because of the lack of end product from the current batting line-up. This would allow Jos Buttler to bat first, which could inspire not only a change in form for the team and the batters but for Buttler himself, and this could be the switch needed to make bringing the World Cup a reality once again.

Jos Buttler

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