Since becoming the World Champions for the first time in ODI cricket in 2019, the England Cricket Team’s performance has gone downhill. They finished 7th in the 10-team World Cup 23 and failed to win a single match at the ICC Champions Trophy. In fact, England have lost more than they have won in ODIs since Ben Stokes’s heroics in the 2019 final. They have been so bad in the last six years that multiple World Cup winner Ricky Ponting has slammed them, saying “dreadful”.
Ponting blames England’s batting approach as the reason behind their downfall. England and their power-hitters, who have been excellent in T20s, play a longer T20 game in ODIs, as per Ponting.
“The rhythm and tempo of one-day batting is not like it used to be because of how much T20 cricket is being played. In the 50-over game now, teams are trying to play it like a longer T20 game. And England is the best example. They have no idea how to put together a batting innings in 50-over cricket. They were dreadful in the 50-over World Cup, they were dreadful in the Champions Trophy,” Ricky Ponting told The Indian Express Idea Exchange.
England since 2019 World Cup win
- Mat: 68
- Win: 29
- Loss: 35
- NR: 4
Can’t play spin (ODIs)
Asian pitches and spinners could be a big reason behind why England are “dreadful”. While England get away on flat or bouncy pitches in the SENA countries, they struggle in Asia. Out of 21 matches England have played in Asia since their 2019 triumph, they have lost 15 and won just 6. Their wins are against weaker teams like Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and Pakistan. England’s losing margins have been poor too, proving their struggles.
Take their overall run rate for example. England have scored 6.21 runs per over when they have played in SENA countries or in Europe or Africa. However, their run rate dropped to 5.93 per over. Their run rate further dropped to 5.87 against top teams. In fact, between 2020 and 2025, they have won just 1 match against top-ranking ODI teams.
England in Asia since 2020 (ODIs)
- Mat: 21
- Win: 6
- Loss: 15
Ponting believes that flaws in their approach made them such a poor ODI team of late.
“As soon as the spinners come on now, you think you have to take them for 20 runs in an over and in the right conditions, you can’t do it. You have to find a way to score 80-90-100 runs per hundred balls without taking too many big risks and getting out. Maybe some of that skill with strike rotation, hitting gaps, running hard between wickets… the stuff that made the best 50-over players what they were, maybe some of that has gone,” Ponting said.
As a result of their poor showings in the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, captain Jos Buttler has stepped down. Harry Brook, who also struggles in Asia, is set to take over as the T20 skipper and perhaps ODI captain too.
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