England’s resurgence in ODI cricket

England
Jos Buttler

We had a riveting Ashes 2023 with some noteworthy performances from both England and Australia, however, the thing that was most talked about and became the highlight of the series was Bazball.

Everyone from the fans to the pundits had their say on it; some applauded it, while others criticized it. No matter which side of the fence you’re on, one thing’s for sure – you can’t ignore it. It certainly has revolutionised the way England plays in the longer format, but before this, there was a time when they had to reinvent themselves even in the shorter format.

England had a forgettable 2015 ODI World Cup as they lost to Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, and could muster a win only against Scotland and Afghanistan. They never clicked as a team and looked out of sorts on most occasions. Their performance was highly criticized. This debacle served as a wake-up call for them and they built a roadmap for the future with the aim of becoming a team to reckon with even in white-ball cricket. To stay abreast with all the detailed insights and latest happenings from the cricketing world, visit Betindia.in. Let’s take a look at some of the factors that led to their resurgence.

Strong leadership and aggressive approach

England Cricket appointed Trevor Bayliss as the head coach and gave him and Eoin Morgan, who was appointed as the captain a mere two months before the World Cup, a free reign to build the team as per their liking. 

Being the originator of the game, England used to always be burdened by the ‘purists tag’, however, Morgan translated his attacking skills as a batsman in his captaincy as well. Along with Bayliss, he instilled an aggressive approach in the entire team. The duo recognised their core team and backed those players to the hilt.

Flamboyant batsmanship

This backing gave players the opportunity to express themselves freely and play some bold cricket. It also resulted in the emergence of players like Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, and Ben Stokes – batsmen who would set the stage on fire with their flamboyant strokeplay. 

The team had always struggled to perform in the subcontinent consistently as they never had attacking spinners bowling in tandem. In Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, they found two spinners who weren’t afraid of flighting the ball and aiming for wickets with every delivery. They adopted the variations of the modern game and weren’t afraid of experimenting. Both the spinners ensured that the attack was always taken to the opposition and wickets kept coming even in the middle overs. Breaking stereotypes, England adopted the ‘horses for courses’ approach and built three different teams for all three formats.

Investing in youth

England realised the importance of youth and started nurturing young and budding cricketers so that they could make their mark even on the international stage right from the start. This helped players like Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow, who later went on to become important cogs of the wheel. 

England, as a team, were never known for their athleticism on the field, which had become an important part of the modern game. They worked on their fitness and agility and were soon seen taking some fantastic catches and effecting some incredible run-outs. The influx of youth helped this cause further.

After the 2015 World Cup, England drastically improved their win:loss ratio in ODIs – winning an impressive 86 games out of the next 139 played, with 2 matches resulting in a tie and the other 9 ending up without a result. They also went on to win the 2019 ODI World Cup which was held in their own backyard. It’ll now be interesting to see if they can replicate their performance and repeat history in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.

Jos Buttler

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