England cricket team in action during Cricket World Cup 2023© AFP
It has been a disastrous Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign for defending champions England who have won just one out of their six matches in the tournament till now. With just two points, the Jos Buttler-led side is at the bottom of the table as their latest defeat came against India on Sunday. The bowlers were able to restrict India to 229 but a uninspiring batting display saw them getting all out for 129. Former India batter Gautam Gambhir pointed out that veteran cricketer Joe Root has failed to perform in the competition and his form has been the most “damaging thing” for the English batting line-up.
“If you see England’s batting lineup, apart from Joe Root, all the other guys want to play aggressive cricket. It is the form of Joe Root that has been the most damaging thing for this batting lineup because this entire batting lineup revolves around him,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
Root has scored just 175 runs in six matches and he was dismissed for a duck against India. Gambhir said that he was the anchor in the batting line-up and his lack of runs has left the others ‘exposed’.
“He was that anchor and glue who could bat from one end and the rest of the guys could actually play the way they wanted to. The moment Root hasn’t delivered, everyone gets exposed. Not a lot of guys have that ability to absorb the pressure of playing against the seaming and swinging balls,” he explained.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that the top 7 teams in the Cricket World Cup along with hosts Pakistan will be eligible for Champions Trophy 2025 and as a result, England are currently in danger of missing out on qualification.
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