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'Rusty and Lackluster…,' Ex-Opener Strongly Criticizes England Post New Zealand Defeat

image-lned4e3gNew Zealand defeated England in WC opener (X.com)

Former England captain Michael Atherton criticized Jos Buttler and the England cricket team after their heavy defeat to New Zealand in the opening match of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad on October 5.

In a highly anticipated match that was seen as a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final, New Zealand convincingly defeated England by nine wickets. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra played a crucial role in this victory, forging an outstanding partnership that made light work of England's target of 283 runs.

Although England had a promising start with Sam Curran dismissing Will Young early in the second innings, Conway and Ravindra's unbroken 273-run partnership for the second wicket secured the victory for the Kiwis. 

The defeat was a sobering experience for the defending champions, and Michael Atherton didn't mince words when expressing his disappointment with England's performance both with the bat and the ball.

"(England) will have to show significant improvement very quickly after a rusty and lackluster performance resulted in a defeat that is rarely seen in recent times. This was no narrow margin loss; it was a comprehensive defeat. Buttler's team must be relieved that there were not more spectators in the stadium to witness this,"  wrote Michael Atherton in his column for The Times.

During the game, England was asked to bat first, and they lost wickets at regular intervals, ending up with a total of 282 runs. Apart from Joe Root, none of the England batters managed to score more than 50 runs. Despite this, they still managed to post a competitive total on the board.

England will be looking to put on a better performance in their next World Cup match when they face Shakib Al Hasan's Bangladesh on Tuesday, October 10, at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamsala.