English cricket has enjoyed some wonderful times over the last four or five years. The red-ball team has produced records galore and performances that will live long in the memory thanks to the fresh approach pioneered by Brendon McCullum. There have been scarcely believable run chases, unheard-of run rates, and spells in the field where funky tactics have helped the team conjure the required wickets out of nowhere.
The white-ball team won the 2019 World Cup on home soil and then became dual world champions by winning the 2022 T20 World Cup as well. They too set a new standard in terms of run-scoring, with six-hitting to the fore and no ball good enough to avoid punishment thanks to the use of creative new shots.
But much is cyclical in the world of sport, and perhaps especially so in cricket and it seems that England are in serious danger of being on the downward part of the cycle before, at least in terms of Tests, they have even really got properly going. We will leave the longer format of the game alone for now though and focus instead, on what has been the longer-term demise of the one-day side, and in particular their latest defeat.
Humbling Defeat by West Indies
England travelled to the West Indies in October to play three ODIs and five Twenty20 internationals. Test coach, McCullum, is scheduled to take over white-ball duties from the start of 2025, in part due to the underperformance of the side over the past couple of years.
They disappointed in the defence of both of their World Cup crowns and it was felt that a fresh approach, and a revamp of the squads, was required. It remains to see what McCullum will do, though his approach has already filtered through a little in terms of trying to uncover players that have perhaps been overlooked but have what the England set-up like to call a “high ceiling”. In old money, we might just say they have a lot of potential.
The incoming boss also does a lot of work on culture, attitude and psychology, and tries to free players up from any fears and doubts and make them realise what a great honour and even joy it is to play cricket for a living. Based on England’s latest showing, he will have a lot of work to do.
Third One Day International in Barbados
The third and final ODI took place on Wednesday in Barbados and the hosts romped to an eight-wicket win with seven overs to spare. England lost the toss and were put in to bat and rapidly slumped to 24/4. Opener Phil Salt helped steady the ship with 74, whilst there were good contributions from Sam Curran (40) and Dan Mousley (57). Late fireworks from Jamie Overton (32 off 21 balls) and Jofra Archer (38 off just 17) propelled England to a total of 263/8 that might have seemed inconceivable at one stage.
It certainly gave them something to bowl at but was always on the low side. It quickly became clear that the hosts were not in the mood to succumb to any pressure and they started well. In the seventh over they reached 42 without loss when Overton dismissed Evin Lewis for 19 but that was as good as it got for England.
A brilliant partnership between opener Brandon King and Keacy Carty took the game away from the tourists. King struck 102 from 117 balls before eventually being dismissed by Reece Topley, whilst Carty was superb in scoring an unbeaten 128 from just 114 balls.
In the end, it was a very easy win for the home team and it clinched a 2-1 series win. The first match also saw an eight-wicket win for the Windies, albeit on a revised DLS target after England were bowled out for just 209. The away team roared back a few days later in Antigua, easily reaching their target of 329 for the loss of just five wickets and with 15 balls to spare. However, that chase was very much down to one brilliant innings, with Liam Livingstone hitting 124 not out from just 85 balls.
New-Look England But Plenty of Work to Do
England’s bowling and fielding were not up to scratch in the three games but really it was their batting, in particular at the top of the order, that let them down. The side is in a new era now, with Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow gone. Losing perhaps the greatest opening partnership in the history of the 50-over game is obviously going to have an impact, whilst the likes of Harry Brook and Jos Buttler did not feature in this series.
It remains to be seen whether Phil Salt and Will Jacks can deliver as ODI openers, whilst Jordan Cox was given his debut in this series and managed just 22 runs. Mousley also played his first three games and showed some promise, whilst Barbados-born Jacob Bethell, who only turned 21 in October, also featured having made his ODI debut against Australia in September.
John Turner was another to make his debut for England in this series and the South Africa-born bowler played twice, picking up 2/42 in the second clash but going at seven runs an over. The Hampshire quick is just 23 years old and is another who still has a lot to prove and plenty to do to become a regular in the side.
All in all, it is clear there is a lot of work for McCullum to do next year. Adding Brook and Buttler into the side will certainly strengthen the batting lineup, whilst Bethell showed plenty of promise against Australia. If England can keep Archer fit and Adil Rashid can keep on delivering their bowling attack has a spine, but there are still plenty of places within the wider squad that are up for grabs. England were outplayed by the West Indies and the series has provided more questions than answers.