- England’s 50-over cricket decline.
- Focus on T20 and 100-ball.
- World Cup prospects and challenges.
Less than a year before England’s World Cup defense in India, Jos Buttler stood on the MCG outfield, surveyed the ruins of a 3-0 loss to Australia, and said he was “not too bothered” by it.
In another time and place, these lines might have caused an uproar; they are equivalent to an England captain’s resignation letter. This unpopular one-day international series had begun just four days after Buttler won the Twenty20 World Cup on the same ground.
However, it was not a one-off in terms of widespread sentiment. Since the fulfillment of a four-year World Cup moonshot in July 2019, 50-over cricket has become an inconvenient obligation in English eyes; the sporting equivalent of forcing a child to eat their greens.
During the previous cycle, there has been a reduction in bilateral one-day cricket globally. In the four years leading up to the 2019 World Cup, Eoin Morgan built a consistent team that played 88 ODIs, deployed 34 players, and had a core of 13 players with between 40 and 83 caps each.
Morgan’s team won 15 of 20 bilateral series, ascended to the top of the rankings, and set numerous records. Since then, 44 players have played 42 ODIs, winning only two series against Ireland and the Netherlands. With just 18 centuries in this period, only their run-rate (6.2) has remained unchanged.
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Jason Roy, who played 32 One-Day Internationals in the latter period, is now a reserve, supplanted by Dawid Malan and Harry Brook.
Joe Root, who averaged 58 with the bat between 2015 and 2019, has averaged only 19 since.
The ambivalence extends to domestic One-Day Cup levels as well. The competition has become a second-tier, quasi second XI event since the advent of the Hundred.
Despite the decline, England enters the tournament as the second betting favourite, recognizing the pragmatic decision made due to fixture congestion and the T20 World Cup. With the Test team as the flagship, something had to yield.
Now, as England prepares for the World Cup opener against New Zealand, the question is whether this matters and if the winning habit in T20 cricket can transfer to ODIs.
India, this year’s favorites, have played 66 ODIs since 2019, achieving a winning rhythm and ranking summit. England has a strong batting lineup and a varied bowling attack.
The true impact of these factors may be known when the next generation emerges, raised on T20 and 100-ball cricket, and faces the broader canvas of 50 overs. For now, the focus is on reassembling the ensemble and trusting that the same success will follow.
