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Former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain has expressed his concerns about the England cricket team’s performance and lack of confidence following their devastating 229-run loss to South Africa in the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. The match took place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
England’s confidence crisis
Nasser did not mince his words stating that England appear to be a side lacking in confidence after a series of disappointing performances. Notably, England’s loss to South Africa marked their third defeat in the World Cup 2023, and their current standing is second to last in the points table.
“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,” Nasser expressed on Sky Sports.
An uphill battle for England
Nasser further remarked that England do not seem like a team capable of winning the next five matches consecutively. To have a chance of defending their World Cup title, England would need to win seven matches in a row, a prospect that appears challenging given their current form. Nasser emphasized the importance of making sound decisions in their upcoming matches.
“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. If they want to win every game from now, they need to get their decision-making right,” he added.
Also READ: Twitter Reactions – South Africa hand England their biggest defeat in ODI World Cup history
Fitness challenges in Mumbai’s conditions
In addition to the issues of confidence and decision-making, Nasser also pointed out the physical challenges faced by England’s cricketers in the hot and humid conditions of Mumbai. Despite being a team known for its fitness levels, the players appeared to struggle with the conditions, particularly after 40 minutes of play.
“No matter how much practice you’ve had in the nets, or how many laps you’ve done off the ground, playing in this heat and humidity, you need to have proper match overs in your legs, otherwise you’ll cramp up. These are super fit England cricketers and within 40 minutes you could tell how much they were struggling,” Nasser added further.
England’s upcoming matches in the multi-team event are against Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Netherlands, and Pakistan. Undoubtedly, these games will be crucial in determining England’s tournament fate.
