'A Side with No Confidence..'- Nasser Hussain Slams England After Crushing Defeat vs SA
England haven't lived up to the expectations [X.com]
Defending champions, England, are steering rough waters in their World Cup 2023 campaign, having suffered three stinging defeats in the ongoing tournament.
ENG vs SA: Nasser Hussain critiques England's dismal performances
Their latest debacle against South Africa, a staggering 229-run loss, has gone down as their worst ever in ODI history, causing alarm bells to ring throughout their camp.
Former cricketer Nasser Hussain opined that the current English side appears devoid of the confidence necessary to win seven consecutive games and retain their title.
The Three Lions' most recent setbacks began when Afghanistan defeated them by 69 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. This was followed by the disheartening loss to South Africa. While trying to chase a formidable target of 400 runs set by the Proteas, England were at a dismal 100/8.
However, a brief spark was seen in a partnership between Mark Wood, who scored 43 off 17 balls, and Gus Atkinson, who made 35 off 21 balls, providing some respite to their fans. Yet, the team was all out for 170 in just 35 overs.
While speaking on SkySports, Hussain weighed in on England's tumultuous journey. He contrasted the current team's disposition with the squad from the previous World Cup. According to him, where the latter thrived on confidence and a clear strategy, this English side seems plagued by self-doubt.
"England look like a side that has no confidence. These three losses will hurt them. It happened in the last World Cup, but you felt it was a side that had confidence and they were playing a style and brand of cricket where they could bounce back. England need to now win seven games on the bounce to defend the World Cup, but they don't look like a side that could do that at the moment," said Hussain.
Hussain pointed out that the team's decision-making, both in terms of on-field strategies and off-field selections, appeared flawed.
He highlighted the unwarranted deviations from their established playing style and opined that England's increasing reliance on statistics might be proving counterproductive.
"England keep getting their decisions wrong. We got the toss and the balance of the side wrong. The three changes in the squad moved England completely away from how they have been playing for years. Woakes had no rhythm and on a flat pitch you leave him out and bring Stokes in, I agree with that decision. What I don't like is the toss decision and reliance on stats," added the former captain.
In Hussain's view, cricket isn't just about crunching numbers; it's equally about intuition, understanding the game's pulse, and making timely decisions.
“I hear a lot about statistics, and Eoin Morgan used statistics, but there was a lot of gut feeling there too. You need to get your decisions right, don't just go to your default settings," concluded Hussain.
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