Key points
- England’s Champions Trophy campaign ends
- Afghanistan, Australia and South Africa beat England
- Key players were overlooked for the tournament
LONDON: England’s Champions Trophy campaign went up in smoke after they lost both of their games against Afghanistan and Australia.
Brendon McCullum selected a group of players for the mega event and for the warm-up series in India, which omitted several high-profile names like Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Reece Topley, and Sam Hain. They could have made a difference in England’s fortunes if they had been selected, according to media reports.
Jonny Bairstow
Former English cricketer David Lloyd has criticised England’s selection for the ICC Champions Trophy, recommending that Jonny Bairstow should have been picked in the team.
According to UK media reports, without Bairstow, England have been reliant on the Ben Duckett-Phil Salt opening axis, and while Duckett brought back memories of a successful opening partnership with his century against Australia, Salt’s dismissals have become more exasperating with each innings.
Bairstow was abandoned after last year’s T20 World Cup, in which he only offered short glimpses of his swashbuckling best. It was a similar story at the 2023 World Cup. But, on free-scoring, hard-hitting surfaces like England have played on during this tournament, it is hard not to think Bairstow may have offered better returns than at least Salt. Instead, he played the full SA20, scoring a cool 232 runs at a shade under 40 for Joburg Super Kings, according to media reports.
Sam Curran
Sam Curran showed his use with both bat and ball to England in the West Indies a few months ago. Batting at six, he made 129 runs across three innings and provided enough cover in Ben Stokes’ absence as an all-rounder, according to media reports. In the few overs Curran was required to bowl, he didn’t give too much away, and found his utility on pitched that did not suit his style. Equally, with so many right-handers in both England’s batting order and seam attack, as a point of difference, Curran fits the bill.
Liam Dawson
Liam Dawson has an excellent record both in England domestically and across the franchise circuit for the last few years, providing almost as much with the bat as the ball, the media reports suggest.
Like Curran, he is a player who would mean England would not have to choose between leaving their bowling attack of their batting light, and he would also mean they could field an extra frontline spinner in their side, taking the pressure off Liam Livingstone, as well as their third seamer. England clearly does not fancy Rehan Ahmed, having dragged him around all winter without giving him a single game.
Some media reports suggest that, surely, picking a spinner you can select in an XI with confidence, in Dawson, would have been the better option.
England have won just one of their last nine ODIs, with head coach Brendon McCullum believing that their ability has been stifled because “they care too much”.
Reece Topley
Topley was England’s premier seamer for the in-between years leading up to the 2023 World Cup. There are few who offer what he does, both from a height and angle point of view, as well as the remarkable numbers he’s delivered over the years.
However, consistent injuries ahead of major tournaments, as well as outside of them, including against West Indies late last year, have meant Topley has missed out on most of England’s glory moments. Perhaps that was a factor in his omission here as well, although that didn’t prevent McCullum and co. from risking Mark Wood straight after a long injury lay-off with a massive year of international cricket ahead.
Sam Hain
Plenty has been made of the limited number of 50-over games England’s players have played both alongside international cricket and before it, and while that cannot be the only factor behind how far short they have fallen in Pakistan, it is a significant one.
However, when looking for a player with a proven track record of 50-over success, it is hard to look further than Hain.
With a List A average of 57.76 after 64 games, rather than pushing an Smith up the order for a free hit, having Hain in an anchoring role might have been a better punt.
He made 89 on ODI debut against Ireland in 2023, so far the only England series he’s been a part of, according to media reports.
According to the ICC website, England coach Brendon McCullum is already applying his trademark positivity to a high-stakes process his side must now meet front on.
Jos Buttler made the tough decision to end his reign as England’s white-ball captain on the eve of their final Champions Trophy appearance. The heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa on Saturday did little to quell England’s critics, with Buttler honourably taking accountability for the team’s lean patch in 50-over cricket.
It leaves big decisions for McCullum and England, with the coach pointing to a lack of self-belief from his players for their winless tournament run, the ICC website reported.
