Last Thursday’s opening game of the Cricket World Cup saw England roundly thrashed in Ahmedabad, by what looked on paper to be a fairly average New Zealand.
Posting a stuttering 282 for nine off 50 overs, England threatened to dominate but too often threw wickets away. Jonny Bairstow clipped the second ball of the innings off his legs for six, Root hit a typically fluent and mostly composed 77, and Jos Buttler showed glimpses of the form that made him one of the IPL stars of his generation.
The Barmy Army is still gamely selling pricey tour packages for the semi-finals in Mumbai and even the final
This apparent batting ease, however was coupled with sloppiness. England still commands immense riches in the batting department, but their bowling looked innocuous and at times poor. The spinners bowled too short. For all their skill and commitment to the England cause over many years, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali appear just a little past it.
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