England have been knocked out of a World Cup following a defeat in a match they were expected to win, due to a surprise performance which took everyone by surprise. Does that ring a bell? This is because it applies to two events involving England which took place almost exactly a year separated: recently, their ODI World Cup semi-final loss at the hands of South Africa; a year ago, their defeat in a must-win group stage match against West Indies in the 20-over version.
What Happened Next
During that time, there was a 16-0 Ashes debacle and a post-series review which was meant to change everything. Did it? Let’s look a little more deeply into those two World Cup exits. In 2024, England collapsed, missed multiple opportunities, and allowed a aggressive batting display from Qiana Joseph to seal the match. In the latest match, a player with superb skill and composure – the South Africa captain, Laura Wolvaardt – showed why she is one of the world’s best batters. She offered up precisely one chance – a catch to Alice Capsey at long-on – and England took it. Unfortunately, she had accumulated 169 runs by that point.
‘It’s painful’: Edwards looks to next generation after England’s World Cup defeat.
This may not offer the England head coach, Charlotte Edwards, much consolation as she returns from her first World Cup in charge – she is a performance-focused leader, and a loss is a loss. But she has initiated positive changes. From the low point of dropping eight catches in a single day of Test cricket in Melbourne, half a year on England secured more chances this World Cup than any other team. That is something.
The Batting Collapse
The problem was what came after Wolvaardt’s knock. Was there anyone inside that England dressing room really believe they were capable of chasing down a total of more than 300? Undoubtedly no one outside it did. England’s rapid decline to nought for two and 1/3 provoked a reaction not of horror but of resigned acceptance.
“We do need to improve our batting – I don’t think it’s been consistent enough at times,” Edwards said after the match. This highlights the problem. There have been eight totals of more than 300 in this tournament: three of them were hit by Australia, three by India, and two by South Africa. This is now standard in women’s ODI cricket: in order to rival the world’s best, England need a batting order which can confidently expect to surpass 300 runs. But when nobody except Nat Sciver-Brunt and Heather Knight has a track record of regularly making meaningful runs, well, the numbers speak for themselves.
Partnership Efforts
Capsey’s 105-run partnership with Sciver-Brunt in the semi-final had some value – Capsey showed that she can bat sensibly, at least for 70 balls – but it was never going to be enough to win the game. In comparison with South Africa, who were able to add 117 runs from their last 10 overs, surpassing the 300-run mark, because Wolvaardt had faith in the batters coming in below her and felt she had enough freedom to hit out. “Knowing what we still had in the sheds with the last 10 coming up, I thought I’d better have a swing,” she explained to Sky Sports.
Heather Knight and Nat Sciver-Brunt were the sole consistent performers to score runs consistently during the tournament.
Coaching Dilemmas
When Edwards was hired in April, her challenge was whether to maintain or change: she chose to allow an ageing ODI side who had bombed in the Ashes one last shot at World Cup glory. She got it wrong. England come back with the worst of both worlds: empty-handed, and with little basis on which to rebuild over the next four years. The majority of the top order from the semi-final are unlikely to play in another 50-over World Cup.
A change of approach is now approaching, as Edwards herself indicated. “This is the conclusion of a phase,” she said. “We’ve got to look at the future now.”
Future Prospects
It’s about time: an opportunity to evaluate at the 21-year-old left-handed batter Grace Scrivens, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper Seren Smale and the 18-year-old left-arm spinner Tilly Corteen-Coleman.
The nagging worry is that it might be overdue: England’s most recent set of central contracts were signed, sealed and delivered on 1 October. The cricket board has not yet released a full list of contracted players, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the existing team are the primary recipients.
The Path Ahead
Lack of progress and overconfidence were the twin problems on which the Ashes whitewash was built – time for Edwards to signal that she is serious about preventing their return.
